


Skyfall

by moomoomeep



Series: Living Louder (Will I Stand or Will I Fall?) [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adventure, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Get Together, Multi, Original Character(s), Pining, Slow Build, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-01
Updated: 2014-05-30
Packaged: 2018-01-07 01:24:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 105,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1113857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moomoomeep/pseuds/moomoomeep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"My name is Tony Stark . . . and this is the story of how I died . . ." </p><p>Set one year after the events of the Avengers. Additional notes inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by: "Skyfall" by Adele.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers nor the song featured.

Beginnings are hard.

Whenever there’s a problem, whether you’re the one experiencing it or not, people always say “start at the beginning.” The funny thing about beginnings though—is what exactly classifies as the “beginning?” Birth seems like a good place. You could also count the very first day of school, first A on a test, first kiss, first driving lesson, first time being treated as an adult, the list goes on forever. Sure, with this story, we could start at the end—it’d be a hell of a lot easier. However, with the events in this tale, it won’t make any sense if we start at any other point.

So, here goes nothing.

My name is Tony Stark . . . and this is the story of how I died . . .

**

An alarm blares out early on a Monday morning, startling the calm air of the city. A hand reaches out from underneath a cocoon of sheets hitting the offending object until it ceases making noise. The hand retreats back under covers as the owner prepares to return to slumber.

_“It would be unwise for you to continue, sir.”_

“Can it, JARVIS, I need my beauty rest,” Tony says while trying to get comfortable again. “This is the first solid sleep I’ve had in days and I would very much like to continue, thank you.”

Pause.

_“Sir, Miss Potts is on her way.”_

Tony flips the covers off his body. “Fuck,” he sighs. He scrambles out of bed only to become tangled in the sheets and crash in a heap of flailing limbs on the floor. The genius quickly detangles himself and sprints to the bathroom. “Estimated time of arrival?”

_“Fifteen minutes, sir.”_

“Shit!” Tony exclaims. He runs around his room in a rush somehow managing to squeeze in a quick shower, preparing a brief case, dressing himself (kinda) in his usual dark blue suit, manage to fly downstairs and gulp down a mug of coffee all before Pepper pulls into the driveway.

Pepper climbs out of her black Audi S5, clad in a form fitting gray suit jacket, matching pencil skirt, and black kitten heels. She closes the door and locks it behind her. She quickly walks to Tony’s front door, keys in hand, only to have the door to open for her. She smiles, silently thanking JARVIS. “Tony,” she calls.

“Kitchen!” he responds.

The redhead makes her way to Tony’s kitchen, pausing in the doorway. The man looks a mess: his hair sticking out everywhere, clothing in disarray, even his socks didn’t match! Pepper places her fist over her mouth trying to hide an amused smirk. “It looks like a hurricane hit you.”

Her voice startles Tony causing the man to jump. He places a hand over his arc reactor. “Pep! You scared the shit out of me!”

Pepper rolls her eyes and walks over to Tony. She sets her clipboard down on the counter and attempts to make the other look presentable by smoothing out his clothing and straightening his tie.

The billionaire allows Pepper to fiddle with his clothes. “Remind me again why I have to go to this meeting?”

“Because Fury would have your head if you weren’t present.”

“Can’t you go for me?”

Pepper sighs. “Tony, I’m too busy running your company, remember? Besides, they want Iron Man, not his assistant.”

“You’re more than just an assistant,” Tony protests.

“That may be, but you still need to show up.” Pepper finishes fixing Tony’s clothes to the best of her ability. “Everything will be alright. Okay?”

Tony frowns. “Fine,” he says, clearly not happy about going. “I refuse to play nice though.”

“Tony,” Pepper began.

The billionaire slides away from Pepper and pointedly looks away, hoping he wouldn’t see the look. The one that said: “Tony, I am tired of your bull.”

Pepper draws in a breath as if she wants to say something but sighs instead, knowing this is the best she is probably going to get out of the man. Besides, she knows what the other is trying to do. He is trying to get her to keep talking until it gets to the point where there was no way he could possibly attend the meeting. Knowing Fury, Tony not showing wouldn’t look good, especially since this a mandatory meeting. Pepper knows that while the rest of the team has long accepted Tony, she knows it won’t take much for Fury to take him off the team. Pepper sighs again and looks at Tony, who is clearly pleased with himself. “Fine,” she says. “Now, let’s go, you’re going to be late.”

Tony opens his mouth to argue, but at Pepper’s glare, he decides against it. He closes his mouth, grabs his briefcase, and follows the redhead outside. Pepper unlocks her car and slides into the driver’s seat. She starts the vehicle, buckles her seatbelt, and waits while Tony sets his briefcase in the back before climbing in next to her. Tony buckles up just as Pepper puts the car in gear and pulls away from Stark Tower. She glances at Tony, who already looks bored. It was only a matter of time before he started complaining. The redhead decides to turn on the radio.

_‘This is the end’_

Tony smirks and turns to Pepper. “Adele? Really?”

_‘Hold your breath and count to ten’_

“I can’t control what the radio plays, Tony.”

_‘Feel the earth move and then’_

Pepper slows the car to a stop at the red light and glances at Tony. “Besides she’s a great singer.”

_‘Hear my heart burst again’_

Tony snorts, but says nothing.

_‘For this is the end_   
_I’ve drowned and dreamt this moment_   
_So overdue I owe them_   
_Swept away, I’m stolen’_

The light changes to green and Pepper puts the car back in motion.

_‘Let the sky fall_   
_When it crumbles_   
_We will stand tall_   
_To face it all, together_   
_Let the sky fall_   
_When it crumbles_   
_We will stand tall_   
_To face it all, together_   
_At sky fall_   
_At sky fall’_

Tony turns his head to the right and rests his cheek against the window watching as the city slides by.

_‘Sky fall is where we start_   
_A thousand miles and poles apart_   
_Where world’s collide and days are dark . . .’_

**

The car slows to a stop and Tony is startled awake. He didn’t even realize he fell asleep. The genius rubs his eyes and yawns as the door unlocks. He stumbles out of the car and grabs his briefcase from the back.

“Will you need me or Happy to pick you up?” Pepper asks.

“Nah,” Tony replies. “I’ll make Shield bring me back. It’s been a while since Coulson and I have bonded anyway.”

Pepper grins. “Play nice.”

“I’ll try.” Tony smiles before closing the door and waving Pepper off. He turns toward the Shield building and frowns. He walks inside hoping this meeting won’t take forever. After all, he is Tony Stark and has more important things to do.

**

“Nice of you to join us, Stark,” Fury greets as Tony arrives into the meeting room. The one-eyed man is standing at the head of the table, with Hill and Coulson flanking him on either side. Next to Hill is Natasha, who is sitting beside Thor. Next to Thor is Bruce, followed by Captain America, an empty chair, Hawkeye and finally Coulson. Everyone, minus Coulson, Fury and Hill, was clad in their civilian attire. “You’re late.”

Tony shrugs. “Eh, what else is new?” The billionaire walks over to the table and slides into the available seat between Captain America and Hawkeye. Tony sets his briefcase on the table. “Hey Stevie,” he says to the Captain.

Said Captain frowns and glances at Tony. “Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

Tony grins. “Yes, but when have I ever listened to anything that you’ve told me.”

Steve snorts and Fury clears his throat. “If you don’t mind, Mr. Stark, I would like to proceed with the meeting.”

Tony cringes. “Oohhh. Could you not call me ‘Mr. Stark’? I’d much prefer Tony.”

“Don’t test my patience, Mr. Stark,” Fury responds.

The genius was about to respond, but decides against it. The sooner this meeting is over, the sooner he can get back to his lab.

Fury waits a beat, before continuing. “As you are aware, the New York cleanup effort was finally completed yesterday with Stark Industries fronting the bill—”

“Yeah, why am I fronting the bill again?” Tony interrupts.

“Because you alone caused sixty percent of the damage on our side,” Fury responds daring the other man to speak up. When nothing happens, Furry moves on. “You lot worked well together against the Chitari last year, but it’s not enough. In the event that the Avengers are needed again, you guys are going to need to strengthen your bond, which is why the entire team is moving into Stark Tower.”

The entire team protests, the loudest shouts coming from Tony.

“Fury you can’t do that!”

“I can, I will, and I did.”

“That’s my space, okay, mine. As in, for me, alone!”

Coulson pipes up. “Miss Potts already approved the transition—“

“Pepper?!” Tony exclaims. “I can’t believe this! She betrayed me!”

“Everyone, sit down and shut up!” Fury barks. The team hesitates before resuming their seats. “Good. Now, all of you will be moved into the Tower by the end of the week and that’s final. Dismissed.”

**

“Tony, wait up!” A voice calls.

Tony turns to see Steve walking up towards him. He pauses and waits for the other man to catch up. “Hey Cap,” he said with a small smile. “What’s up?”

Steve stands next to Tony and fidgets for a moment before taking a breath. “I just . . . wanted to make sure you are not too mad about, you know, having us all move in . . .”

The shorter man scoffs and shakes his head. “Fury could have asked, but I don’t mind too much.” He grins.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Tony responded, grin still on his face.

Cap looks like he is about to say something else but decides against it. He smiles at Tony and says, “I guess I should go pack.”

The billionaire nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

“It was good seeing you, Tony.”

Tony was going to brush the other’s comment aside, but Steve seems so genuine, the billionaire finds himself saying: “You too . . . Stevie,” he adds with a smirk.

Steve frowns. “Don’t call me, Stevie.”

Tony shrugs. “Alright, would you prefer . . . Cap? Capsicle . . .”

“I’d prefer Capsicle over Stevie any day,” the other says in a neutral tone, but Tony can see the slight upturn of the corner of Steve’s mouth.

“Whatever you say, Spangles,” Tony says. He bites the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from laughing outright at Steve’s startled look. “Tell the others that Happy will be by in a few days to pick all of you up. Later.” He gives the soldier a small wave before turning away as Steve’s confused goodbye reaches his ears.

**

Over the course of the week, the rest of the Avengers slowly move their belongings into the tower. Thankfully, there’s enough room in the tower for everyone to have their own floor. Tony still isn’t sure how he feels about having the others around. Sure, the team got together a number of times since the whole event over a year ago, but hanging out for a few hours is completely different from having everyone around all the time.

Tony isn’t sure he’s ready for that transition yet.

Since the others have arrived, Clint has broken three vases, Bruce has hulked out twice, and everyone learned the hard way that Thor prefers wander around buck ass naked. And it doesn’t help that Steve all but drags Tony out of his lab, claiming that the engineer should be present for their first meal as a team, which was a disaster. It wasn’t a fun start, but maybe things will get better over time.

At least, that’s what Tony is hoping.

On the eight day of the Avengers “lifelong sleepover,” as Clint dubs the team having to live together, everyone was sharing a nice breakfast that Steve made. Well, he had originally been making breakfast for himself, but everyone else wandered into the kitchen and demanded food, and like the good captain Steve is, he ended up making everyone breakfast.

JARVIS whirls to life right in the middle of Clint and Tony arguing about which decade to catch Steve up on first and says, “Sir, I have a message from Director Fury.”

“Tell him to shove it, JARVIS, I’m in the middle of something important,” Tony responds.

“Tony,” Steve sighs. “What if it’s important?”

“Come on, Cap, it can’t be that important. He did only leave a message.”

“Tony.”

“Just answer the message, Stark,” Natasha quips.

The billionaire sighs. “Alright, JARVIS, what does he want?”

“I’m faxing the message to your office as we speak, sir.”

“Excellent,” Tony responds, standing from the table and heads for his office, quickly grabbing the fax and returning to the kitchen. He sits back down at the table and reads over the message with a frown.

“Dude, is Fury’s message that bad?” Clint asks right before shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

“I guess it depends on how you look at it,” Tony responded. “To sum it up, Fury wants us to do some team bonding.”

“Why?” Natasha asks.

Tony shrugs. “Who knows? He probably wants us to strengthen our friendships or something like that.”

“Oh!” Clint pipes up. “If we’re “bonding,” can we go to Costco? I think they’re having a sale on lard!”

“What’s a Costco?” Steve asks a confused look on his face.

“It’s basically a super store. They have a little bit of everything you could possibly need,” Tony explains. He snickers. “A super store for a super solider.”

Natasha face palms while Clint snorts. Steve still looks confused.

Tony rolls his eyes. “You’ll see what I mean when we go. I’ll call Happy.”

**

After the team finishes breakfast, they decide to return to their rooms and get ready for the trip. Bruce suggests that everyone should meet in the living room in one hour with the others chiming in their agreement.

Tony exits the elevator that opens up on his floor. He walks into his room and closes the door immediately taking off his pants and flinging them in the direction of the hamper. He walks over to his closet, whistling a tune, and opens the double doors. Quickly choosing a black AC/DC shirt and a pair of faded jeans, he closes the closet and tosses the items onto his bed. The billionaire strips off the rest of his clothing and drops the items on the floor. He stretches and pads over to the bathroom, pausing at his wall length mirror to puff out his chest, flex, and wink at his reflection.

Tony snickers to himself and walks into the bathroom. “JARVIS, turn the water on. You know how I like it.”

“Of course, sir.”

The shower automatically turns on. Tony steps under the spray and sighs as his muscles relax.

Ten minutes pass and Tony climbs out of the shower. He dries himself off before wandering into his room. The engineer drops his towel on the ground and dresses himself. He runs his fingers through his damp hair before sighing, grabbing his phone and wallet, and heading downstairs.

“Took you long enough, princess,” Clint greets when Tony enters the living room. The archer, along with Steve and Thor, were waiting patiently. Well, Steve and Thor were waiting patiently. Clint was throwing popcorn at Thor and fidgeting.

“Piss off, Clint, you can’t rush perfection,” the genius responds as he flops on the couch between Steve and Thor. “And get your dirty feet off my coffee table. You’ll mess up the glass.”

Clint smirks and rubs the heel of his shoes against the table, earning a scowl and eye roll from Tony. The archer reaches into his bowl and tosses another kernel at Thor, grinning when the Asgardian catches the treat in his mouth and chews happily.

“This treat is most delectable,” Thor says. “What do you Midgardians call it?”

“Popcorn,” Clint answers. “You want some more?” At Thor’s eager nod, Clint laughs and hands over the bowl, watching with an amused grin as the blond shovels a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Tony bites his lip to prevent a grin from crawling over his face. He turns to his left and sees Steve sketching in his notebook. “Whatcha working on?” he asks startling the soldier, something Tony didn’t think was possible. The other must have really been concentrating.

“Nothing important,” the blond answers quickly.

Tony leans against Steve’s arm trying to get a better view only for the solider to close the notebook and hold it away from him. The genius makes a noise in the back of his throat. “Stevie,” he whines ignoring the frown on Steve’s face at the nickname. “I just wanna see.”

“No, Tony,” Steve says gently an amused smile forming. “I’m not ready to show anyone yet.”

Tony completely understands. He never shows off any of his work until he is certain that everything is as perfect as it can be. That still doesn’t mean that he won’t be stubborn about this. The engineer huffs and crosses his arms, giving the other a wounded look. This only causes Steve’s smile to widen. Tony’s eyes light up. “Hey! Idea! You should let me model for you!”

A faint flush blooms over Steve’s face and disappears under the blond’s deliciously tight blue shirt leaving Tony to wonder exactly how far that blush goes down.

Wait . . . what?

“Tony, I—I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Steve stammers out.

The billionaire shrugs. “Why not?”

“I’m sure you have much more important things to be doing.”

“While that may be true, I could easily clear an afternoon for you,” Tony says. “I mean, we are on a team together and we should, you know, get to know each other more even though we kinda already bonded maybe when we hung out all those times before. I mean, it’s what Fury would want.”

Steve’s face fell. “What Fury would want?”

“It’s what I would want too—I do,” Tony says quickly, hoping he didn’t give Steve the wrong impression. “I want it too. To get to know you more, that is.”

Steve’s blush brightens and he looks away. “Alright.”

“Alright?”

Steve nods before shyly meeting Tony’s eyes. “Yeah; it has been a long time since I’ve been able to work with subject and . . . I’d like to get to know you more too.”

Tony smiles. “Then, it’s settled! You free this weekend?”

Steve nods.

“Great! It’s a date!” Tony doesn’t realize how the words would sound until after they leave his lips. Judging by Steve’s confusion and shock, he wasn’t expecting it either. No one probably bothered to mention, “It’s a date” is frequently used as an expression. Before either man could say something, Bruce and Natasha enter the living room.

Clint hops from his seat with a grin on his face. “Great! Everyone’s here! Now, let’s go! I want my goddamn lard!”

“What do you need lard for anyway?” Bruce asks.

“You don’t need to know my reasons,” Clint answers quickly. Natasha raises an eyebrow and smirks. Tony has a feeling she knows exactly what Clint wants to use the lard for. Then again, that girl seems to know everything about everyone. She’s not called the best for nothing.

“Right,” Tony says. “Happy should be waiting for us in the garage. Let’s go!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is a brief description and talk of an anxiety attack
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or the song featured

The elevator ride to the garage is a less than joyous affair and Tony will never understand why the entire team had to all use the elevator at the same time. The ride featured shoving (Clint), booming enthusiasm about how the team is already “bonding” (Thor), and Tony’s back pressed against Steve’s front the entire.

Not that Tony is complaining about that last one.

The elevator doors open and the Avengers pile out. They spot Happy, dressed in his usual black three-piece suit combo and driver’s hat, waiting patiently by Tony’s personal favorite limo. Happy grins when he sees everyone and opens the door. Clint climbs in first, followed by Natasha, Steve, Thor, Bruce, and finally Tony, the latter giving Happy their destination and pointedly ignoring the confused look on the driver’s face (because Tony Stark doesn’t make personal shopping trips). Tony settles in his seat as Happy closes the door and walks to the other side of the limo. The genius whips out his tablet and begins working on some new rough drafts for inventions. The rest of the team chatter excitedly while Happy places the car in gear, turns on the radio, and heads for Costco.

“Goooood morning, Midtown!” one of the ever annoying hosts chirps over the airwaves. It may be almost eleven a.m., but Tony hasn’t slept in over forty-eight hours so he is entitled to be annoyed by the radio people.

Well, not entitled, but you get the idea.

“It’s eleven o clock, which means that it’s time to play the most requested song of the day! Here it is!” As soon as the host finishes talking, Clint lets out a whoop of joy.

“Oh shit, this is my jam!” The archer exclaims as he dances along to the opening notes of the song.

 _“I was like, good gracious ass bodacious. Flirtatious, tryin to show faces. Lookin for the right time to shoot my steam (you know). Lookin for the right time to flash them keys. Then um I'm leavin, please believing. Me and the rest of my heathens. Check it got it locked at the top of the four seasons. Penthouse, roof top, birds I feedin,”_ Clint raps.

Tony has the urge to laugh, but he isn’t sure if it’s at Clint’s failure to rap properly, Steve’s blush, or Thor’s complete confusion. Based on the latter’s reactions, the two have probably never been introduced to rap music, let alone a song with such dirty lyrics. The genius almost loses it, when he hears Thor ask Steve if “shooting his steam” is something dangerous.

 _“No deceivin, nothin up my sleeve, no teasin,”_ Clint continues to rap. _“I need you to get up up on the dance floor. Give that man what he askin for. Cuz I feel like bustin loose and I feel like touchin you. And can’t nobody stop the juice so baby tell me what’s the use.” The archer forgoes rapping in favor of flailing his limbs in something he likes to call “dancing while sitting down.”_

Tony bites the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from crying of laughter when the chorus comes on. Steve’s blush darkens and Thor looks around even more confused than before wondering, “Why do the women want to become so indecent? Is the weather so warm that they must proceed to remove their garments?”

Natasha rolls her eyes, and Tony returns to his tablet, trying to hide the amused smile on his face. “Happy, for the sake of everyone’s sanity, turn off the radio,” Tony says as the driver shuts off his radio.

Clint frowns. “You’re no fun.”

Tony waves the archer off and returns to his tablet. Silence falls over the group, and Tony is nearly finished with the rough draft of the Stark Phone 3.0, when Clint begins playing with the buttons next to him that control the windows, sunroof, temperature inside the back, and the minibar (which Pepper swapped out the beer for diet cola, thanks a lot).

The archer fiddles with the buttons for a while until he opens the sunroof. Clint grins. He scrambles from his seat and sticks his head out of the sunroof. Tony rolls his eyes, listening to the archer whopping with joy and screaming “Hello New York!” at the top of his lungs. He can hear the sounds of people on the streets cheering and laughing at Clint’s idiocy.

Steve grabs Clint by his belt and yanks the archer back inside the limo. The soldier fixes the other man with a stern glare meaning that Clint is going to get the biggest lecture of his life. The archer merely shrugs and mutters “worth it,” while Nat covers her mouth with one hand, hiding a smile.

Clint moves to close the sunroof, but Thor rises and pokes his head out for a brief second before sitting back down, a curious look on his face. “Your Midgardian architecture is so . . . so . . .”

“Glorious? Incredible? State of the art?” Tony offers.

“Primitive,” Thor answers, earning a confused and offended looks from the entire team. “I have not seen one palace nor a monument to your King since I have been in this realm.”

“Uh, Thor, we’re in America and we don’t have a King. And unless you count The White House as a palace, then we don’t have those either,” Tony explains.

Thor furrows his eyebrows. “I do not understand. I thought all realms have royalty in power.”

“If it makes you feel better, England has a Queen,” Clint adds.

“Then, I must meet with this Queen and pledge an alliance with her, so that our Kingdoms may aid one another in battle,” Thor declares.

“Thor, there’s no need,” Clint says.

“Why not? Is the Kingdom of England the enemy?” Thor asks.

“Uh, buddy, that is three hours and a history lesson that I don’t want to give. Besides, America is already allies with England,” Tony explains as Happy stops at a red light. Thor’s brow is furrowed as if he still doesn’t understand, but says nothing.

Tony glances out the window at the store Happy is stopped beside, “Bob’s Video Emporium.” The store’s window is filled with variously shaped televisions stacked on top of each other, each one playing the same thing: an update on the New York Cleanup Effort. Based on the subtitles, the news reporter is talking about how the finishing additions to the city’s reconstruction were completed as of last week thanks to the efforts of the United States Government and Stark Industries. Tony rolls his eyes, still pissed about the fact that Fury had the balls to send him the bill. He’s about to turn away when the screen switches from the news reports face to shots of the Avengers in action against Loki over a year ago.

The engineer tightens his grip on his tablet, his entire body tensing as images of the wormhole flash before his eyes, faintly hearing Cap’s voice ordering, “close it,” in reference to the portal Tony just went through—or did go through. Previously. But not now. He takes a shaky breath and tears his eyes away from the screen. The billionaire slides his eyes over each Avenger, trying to determine if any of them know what is flashing on the screen right now. If they do, they’re hiding it pretty well. Based on Tony’s observations, everyone seems to be distracted by mundane things like brochures (in Thor’s case) and cell phones (in Steve’s case and Tony can’t believe the other man still doesn’t know how to work the damn thing yet). Everyone’s attention is occupied, except . . .

“Bruce.”

Tony’s eyes flick back to the screen right as a shot of the Hulk smashing one of the Chitari foot soldiers is shown. The genius sucks in a breath and turns back to his friend, seeing that the others have taken notice and are giving Bruce concerned expressions.

“Bruce,” Natasha says again in a soft voice, unusual for the female assassin. Over the past year, the redhead has grown to have a bit of a soft spot for the scientist.

“It’s true . . .,” Bruce says in a quiet voice, so quiet that Tony has to strain his hearing in order to make out the words. “I really am a monster . . .”

“No, Bruce,” Tony begins. “You’re not a monster.”

Bruce turns towards Tony, eyes wild with fear. “The evidence is right in front of you, Tony. I am a monster. . .” He snorts, sliding his gaze down to his lap and balling his hands against his knees. “It’s bad enough that I know I turn into one . . . seeing it here makes it all the more real.”

“Bruce,” Clint starts.

The scientist holds up a hand. The man is starting to look a little green; Tony isn’t sure, if it’s from nausea or if the Hulk wants to make an appearance. He exchanges a glance with Steve, knowing that if Bruce starts to transform, they’re going to have to subdue him (thankfully, he always has a spare suit locked up tight in the trunk of this limo). The genius hates doing that to his friend, but what more can he do. When Hulk wants to come out, he comes roaring.

“Doctor Banner,” Steve begins his voice firm yet calming. His face and posture looking every bit like the soldier he is. “Do you know what The Hu— Other Guy was doing in that moment?” He asks referencing to the Hulk’s fighting on the screen a few seconds ago.

Bruce slowly shakes his head, keeping his gaze firmly on his lap. “I don’t remember anything when I transform.”

“He was saving a busload of elementary school children and their teachers that were caught in the crossfire,” Steve answers, watching carefully as Bruce tenses. “The Other Guy provided enough of a distraction so that Widow and I were able to escort everyone to safety. You saved a lot of lives that day, Bruce.”

The Doctor looks like he is about to protest when Tony jumps in. “He’s right, Bruce. You saved tons of people. You’re a hero.”

Bruce raises his head and meets Tony’s eyes. He looks uncertain at the praise, but Tony’s not taking what he said back. The Doctor is a hero whether he believes it or not and the engineer knows he’s being a giant hypocrite right now, but he can deal with those feelings later.

Natasha reaches for her purse and pulls the small cream-colored bag into her lap. She digs around for a while before pulling out a small peppermint candy that Tony recalls being Bruce’s favorite and holds it out for the other to take.

The scientist eyes the candy before glancing at everyone, the green on his skin fading away slowly. The scientist takes the candy Natasha offers with a quiet murmur of thanks. He unwraps the treat and pops it into his mouth.

The tension bleeds out of the car and everyone breaths a mental sigh in relief. Tony slowly uncurls his fingers from the death grip he has on his tablet, and releases a calming breath of his own. The light changes to green and once again, the car is moving along and heading for Costco. Tony can feel a headache coming along and is already regretting the trip. At least Bruce is doing okay right now. And Tony is hoping it stays that way.

**

Happy pulls into Costco’s parking lot half an hour later, saying he’s going to get ice cream and will be back in two hours. Tony says his goodbyes to Happy and follows the team inside with an eager Clint leading the pack muttering excitedly about how he’s “finally going to pay that S.O.B. back”—whatever that means.

The team enters Costco and immediately spilt up, agreeing to meet at the checkout in an hour and a half. Clint runs off to who knows where while pushing Natasha in a shopping cart. Thor heads directly for the food section pushing his “moving basket,” and claiming that he is going to sample each item the store has to offer. Bruce shuffles away quietly on his own with a basket, probably to look for spare beakers and other science things. Tony feels bad for the scientist. The poor man is still probably beating himself up over what happened on the way over. The genius hopes that Bruce isn’t blaming himself. Tony is hoping that after some alone time and a solid distraction, Bruce will be back to his usual self.

Hopefully.

Since everyone else is gone, this means that Tony is on Steve duty, as he now dubs it. The engineer figures that the blond could use a chaperon and even though Steve is a grown ass man and looking around the store in wonder, Tony knows that too much modern could easily overwhelm Steve and he doesn’t want the soldier to have a panic attack.

Tony turns towards Steve, mouth open and ready to ask the other where he wants to start, when he watches the man’s back head straight for the electronics section. “Shit!” Tony exclaims. He quickly grabs a cart and runs after the blond man, reaching him when the other stops to inspect a Blu-ray player. Going by Steve’s confused look, he’s probably never seen one before and Tony doesn’t have one at the tower because JARVIS can find him whatever movie he wants.

“That’s a Blu-ray player, Steve-o,” Tony says, watching as Steve’s expression turns into one of understanding. The genius remembers Clint explaining to the soldier what DVD’s and Blu-ray’s were a few days ago.

“So, these things make those little disks Clint told me about work?” He questions still looking over the box with interest. The Samsung model that Steve is holding has been out for a while. Tony’s heard mixed reviews about the product, but it appears to get the job done. The engineer is sure that he could build a much better model in his sleep, but hey, who is he to do deny Captain America what he wants. Besides, he could always sneak the item down to the lab and make a few _very slight_ adjustments.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Tony answers, crossing his arms on the cart handle, then resting his head on top of them. “You thinking about buying it?”

Steve nods his head slowly, still reading the information on the box. “I think so. When Clint was telling about Blu-ray’s, he told me he had a bunch that he never got around to watching and asked if I would have a marathon with him.” Steve looks up from the box and meets Tony’s eyes. “We couldn’t find one in the tower, so this will be perfect.”

“Great,” Tony grins. “How much?”

Steve glances around for the price tag. When he finds it, his face twists into shock and his mouth falls open a little. Tony raises an eyebrow, knowing it can’t be that bad.

“How much?” Tony repeats.

“One hundred and nineteen dollars,” Steve answers, horrified. “I can’t afford this.”

Tony sighs, knowing that Steve is definitely experiencing some culture shock. The man did grow up in the depression after all. The engineer moves away from the cart and plucks the box out of Steve’s hands. “Yeah, but I can.”

Steve turns, giving Tony a guilt-ridden look. “I can’t ask you to buy this for me,” he says as if he can change Tony’s mind with his big, blue eyes.

Tony rolls his eyes. “You’re forgetting who I am, Stevie,” he says watching the others expression change from guilt to annoyance. “Besides, it’s only a hundred dollars and I am a _billionaire_ after all.” He places the box in the cart and fixes Steve a stubborn look. “I’m buying this for you because that’s what friends do for each other.”

The soldier furrows his brow. “We’re friends?”

Tony tenses briefly, mind running a mile a minute. He usually doesn’t throw around the f-word, but for some reason when it comes to the team (including Natasha even though he’s still wary of her), he finds himself freely admitting to himself that he considers them friends, even if they don’t think the same of him. “Yes, we’re friends—if you want to be, that is?”

Steve smiles and Tony relaxes. “I would very much like to be your friend, Tony.”

“Good,” Tony says. “Then, as your friend, I am buying you this Blu-ray player whether you like it or not.” The moment the blond pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs is when Tony knows he’s won. He grins. “Getting a headache, soldier?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “You know I can’t get headaches.”

“I bet I could change that,” Tony jokes. He swirls the cart around and walks away from the electronics section. “Come on, Stevie, we got a lot of shopping to do!” The genius smirks when he hears Steve sigh and his reluctant footsteps following.

**

The hour and a half passes by quickly and Tony is surprised that time got away from him so easily. One could say that he was actually having fun answering Steve’s many questions and ignoring his protests at Tony throwing items in the cart that the soldier just looks at and puts back due to the price. It’s surprisingly easy for Tony to get along with Steve despite the fact that they haven’t interacted much until now—something that hasn’t happened since the engineer first met Rhodey.

The two meet up with the rest of the team at the checkout. Clint and Natasha have acquired another cart, both filled to the brim with various items, most of which Tony himself would have never bought aside from the television. Thor’s cart is filled with food and the engineer wouldn’t be surprised if he actually did get a sample of every food item in the store. Bruce’s basket has few items and they all appeared to be science related (no surprise). Tony’s own cart is filled with items that Steve wanted. If people think that Steve is stubborn, then they haven’t met Tony yet because he is getting the soldier everything whether he wants it or not.

The team starts making casual conversation on how they’re going to pay for everything when Tony waves them all off claiming he has the bill. He tells them to go wait outside, listening to everyone chirp their thanks. Steve, of course, decides to stay behind and help Tony through the checkout lifting the heavier items onto the conveyer belt and laughing when Tony mumbles he could manage just fine on his own.

While waiting for the cashier to ring up their items, Tony notices Steve smiling out of the corner of his eye. He grins and nudges the other man. “Hey, what’s got you so smiley?”

Steve looks at Tony a smile still on his face, and scratches the back of his head. “It’s nothing really.”

“Really? Just nothing?” Tony questions. “Hey, you know you can tell me things, right? We are friends, after all.”

“Right, thanks,” Steve responds. He takes a breath. “It’s just . . . every time I think I have you figured out, you surprise me.”

“Oh? Well, I hope that’s a good thing?”

“Don’t worry, it is.” The smile that Steve gives Tony is so genuine, that Tony can’t help but return it with one of his own, which only makes Steve’s smile widen further. “Thank you . . . for, you know, helping me out today and for offering to pay for everyone.”

Tony waves him off, smile still present. “Oh, it’s no big. Helping a fellow out is my specialty.”

“Sir, your total is one thousand three hundred and seventy two dollars,” the cashier announces effectively killing the moment.

Tony watches as Steve’s face slowly turns from joy to shock and the engineer has to bite his cheek to prevent himself from laughing in Steve’s face. Before the other could protest, and knowing the soldier there was bound to be a protest, Tony waves him off. “Stevie, sometimes I think you forget who I actually am. It’s really funny,” the genius says as he hands his card to the cashier.

“I could have sworn that I told you not to call me that,” Steve says sounding more amused than annoyed, which is awesome in Tony’s book.

Tony fake gasps. “Captain America shouldn’t swear! You’d be setting a bad example for the children and we wouldn’t want to corrupt such young, innocent minds, now would we?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Captain America may not swear, but the same can’t be said for Steve Rogers.”

The billionaire fake gasps again. “Why, Steven! I’m shocked! I should tell the president on you!”

Steve laughs and effortlessly loads the rest of the bags into the cart with his ridiculous strength, something that Tony isn’t envious of at all.

Totally.

The genius accepts his card from the cashier with a smile and quickly signs the receipt. He smiles at the woman. “You have a good day.”

The cashier smiles. “You too, boo.”

Tony chuckles as he pushes two of the four carts away from the counter. He and Steve exit the store and find the other Avengers waiting outside. The brunet turns his head towards Clint, who is perched on the back of a bench that Natasha and Bruce are sitting on. “Remind me, again, why you need a television, four pixie sticks, and eighteen cases of lard?”

Clint hops off the back of the bench and grins. “For my glorious vengeance!”

“Do I wanna know?”

“Not unless you want to be an accomplice.”

“I’ll pass,” Tony responds. He leads the way to the limo and pops open the trunk. The team loads the trunk with all their newly purchased items. Steve and Clint take the carts over to the cart rack while Natasha, Bruce and Tony climb into the limo in that order. Tony glances around the parking lot. “Where the hell is Thor?”

“Jane called,” Natasha answers.

“Looks like someone’s getting lucky tonight,” Tony says with a grin. Nat raises an eyebrow and Bruce blushes. “What? It’s probably true!”

Steve and Clint return to the limo and climb inside, the archer sliding in first and settling next to Tony. Steve enters afterwards and shuts the door behind him. Clint must have explained to the blond where Thor is because the solider doesn’t ask. Tony claps his hands together once. “Alright, where to now?”

Clint gasps with excitement. He must have thought of something. “Can we take Steve to Coney Island? I don’t think he’s ever been!”

The soldier laughs. “Actually, I’ve been once with Bucky, but we couldn’t really do much on the count of my asthma and the lack of money,” he explains. Steve looks over at Tony, trying to suppress a hopeful expression.

Tony grins. “For you, Cap, anything. Happy?” he calls.

“On it, boss!” Happy responds from the driver’s seat. He sets down his empty ice cream cup and starts up the limo before pulling away from the parking lot.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

_“Sir, someone is trying to request entrance to the lab,”_ JARVIS informs Tony.

Tony looks up from his latest project and wipes the sweat away from his brow. “Is it Steve again?”

_“No, sir, it is Doctor Banner. He says he has a message for you.”_

“Let him through, JAR.”

The main door to the lab opens automatically and Bruce walks through, looking around with interest. The scientist doesn’t visit Tony’s lab often seeing as he is incredibly busy, but he’s always up for a change of scenery. Tony sets aside his tools, picks up the rag he keeps beside him at all times and wipes off his grease covered hands. “Brucey!” he says with enthusiasm, moving away from his lab table and meeting the scientist halfway. “What brings you to my humble abode?”

“Steve’s making breakfast, and wants to know if you’re coming up,” Bruce answers.

Tony smirks. “He’s sending you to do his dirty work, now?”

Bruce chuckles. “He said when he tried to get you to come up for dinner, you threw a wrench at him and screamed “Get out, I’m busy.””

The billionaire pauses. He does remember seeing Steve a few times, but he isn’t sure if he was hallucinating or not. “Wait, that actually happened?”

Bruce gives Tony a startled look. “You don’t remember?” He raises an eyebrow. “You don’t remember how long you’ve been down here, do you?”

“It’s only been a few hours, right?”

Bruce gives Tony a shocked look. “Tony, it’s nine a.m. on Friday morning. You’ve been down here for two days straight!”

“Really? Are you sure?”

Bruce nods his head. “You’re wearing the same outfit you wore to Costco and Coney Island.”

Tony grabs his shirt and sniffs it, noting a slight musty scent. “Huh; how about that?” At the scientists raised eyebrow, he says, “Oh come on, Brucey, it’s easy for me to lose my concept of time down here. It’s not like I haven’t done this before.”

Bruce snorts. “Trust me, I believe you. I know how it is. Now, are you going to come up or not? I think Steve is making pancakes.”

“Not,” Tony answers, ignoring Bruce’s stubborn look. “But, while you’re here, I have something to show you and, well, give to you.”

The scientist raises an eyebrow, face full of curiosity. Tony leads the man over to his lab table. “I, Tony Stark, present to you, Bruce Banner, the latest in Stark Technology! Behold— The Stark Bot 1.0!” Tony lifts a panel on the back of the robot and presses a few buttons before the bot whirls to life. The genius replaces the panel and watches the small bot lift from the table and hover over it. The robot is small, about the length of an average adult male torso. It has a small screen for a face and two arms on either side of its body. The bot is painted red and gold (Bruce snorts at the coloring), and the entire underside is open, allowing heat to escape and for the bot to hover. “The Stark Bot 1.0 is the first in advanced robot helper technology! He or she will listen to your orders and assist you with projects without fail! Okay, scratch that, since this is a prototype so I don’t know how much fail it will be but . . .”

Bruce shakes his head at the bot that was still hovering over the table. “Tony . . .”

“And, the best part, he or she is all yours for no fee!” Tony had locked himself in his lab right after the team had returned from Coney Island, apparently two days ago, claiming he had things to do. He’d actually tried to get some work done, but he couldn’t get Bruce’s face in the limo earlier that day out of his mind. The poor man is lucky that he never remembers any of the battles he fights as the Hulk, but seeing it right in front of him . . . Tony made a mental note via JARVIS to call that news station and give them a piece of his mind.

When Bruce doesn’t speak, Tony says, “Did I mention that he’s smarter than Dummy over there?” At the sound of his name, Dummy beeps and rolls towards Tony only to bump into a table and knock some equipment over. Tony rolls his eyes. “Dummy, look what you did. Pick everything and put it back exactly how it was before,” he scolds as the robot helper moves his arm to pick up each item.

“Tony, I—I can’t except this little guy,” Bruce says flustered. He looks over the little bot with barely suppressed wonder as it hovers around Bruce’s head.

Tony shrugs. “Sure, you can,” he says. “I already have the basic code and schematics down and saved, so I can build more if needed. Like I said, this is a prototype and it needs to be tested.” While it is true that the bot is a prototype that he has been developing for weeks now, Tony is content to keep to himself that the other reason he’s giving Bruce the robot is to, hopefully, take his mind off everything that happened the other day. The billionaire won’t admit it willingly (or sober) that he does care for each member of the team, even if they break his things, run up the electric bill, eat all his food, scale the side of the tower, drag Tony out of his lab, and are extremely loud. This is the part where Pepper would be “aww-ing” and saying that Tony does have a heart after all.

Yeah, right.

The scientist looks at the bot, joy creeping over his features. He looks at Tony with a grateful smile on his face. “Thank you, Tony,” he says. “And, um . . . thank you for what you said the other day. . .”

Tony waves the other man off. “No sweat, buddy, I know you would have done the same for me. We’re not called the “science bros” for nothing.”

Bruce chuckles. “Wasn’t Clint the one who came up with those ridiculous names?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he did. I had overheard Nat talking to Pepper about it,” Tony says, a grin on his face.

Bruce shakes his head and Tony nudges him lightly. “Go on and get. You and your little buddy here have got a lot of bonding do to.”

Bruce snorts turns to leave, smile still present, and his new hover bot following behind him. The scientist pauses in the doorway and turns back to his friend. “Just so you know, you’re a hero too, Tony.” He gives the engineer a small smile before leaving the lab, the bot hovering behind him.

Tony freezes, not expecting those words from his friend. Him? A hero? He snorts. The day Tony Stark is considered a hero is the day that the world ends.

A loud crash pulls Tony from his thoughts and he turns to see Dummy, still standing by one of his lab tables, knocking over more items than picking them up. “I can’t take my eyes off you for a second, can I?” he says, standing from his stool and walking over to the robot. He picks up everything off the floor and sets the items on the table. He turns to Dummy sees the robot hanging his arm in shame. Tony rolls his eyes. “Come on, we’ve got some work to do.” Dummy beeps happily, his arm lifting as he rolls around Tony and positions himself by the engineer’s usual lab table. Tony shakes his head, smiling, and joins the robot before getting lost in his latest designs.

**

_*Ring*_

_*Ring*_

“Hello?”

“Tony?”

Fuck.

“Pepper? Hey, what’s up?” Tony says in a strained voice already regretting answering the phone. He really needs to remember to check caller ID. Whenever Pepper calls, it’s usually to yell at him or tell him to get to work.

“What’s up? Tony, you have a meeting today—and no! You can’t skip it because you’ve already skipped the last four meetings.”

Tony sighs. “Pep, I’m in the middle of something right now.”

“I don’t care, Tony, get your ass to this meeting. You have one hour.”

The billionaire opens his mouth to protest, but Pepper hangs up. Tony waits a beat before sighing and standing up. “JARVIS, save everything and shut down the lab,” he orders as he leaves the lab and heads for the elevator. Tony yawns as the elevator doors automatically open. He presses the button to go to the penthouse and watches the doors close. He can already feel exhaustion settling in from going days without sleep. Hopefully, a quick shower, fresh clothes and nice steaming cup of coffee will wake Tony up.

The doors open on his floor moments later and Tony exits, heading for his room. He opens the door to his bedroom and walks to the closet. Opening the double doors, Tony quickly scans his clothing before pulling out a navy blue pinstripe blazer and matching pants. He also grabs a white pinstripe button up shirt, an orange tie with blue stripes, and a clean pair of boxers. He wanders away from the closet and lays his clothes out neatly on the bed taking care to make sure he doesn’t wrinkle his suit. The genius strips off his clothing, and tosses the items in the direction of the hamper, shrugging when the clothes miss. Tony pads towards the bathroom and tells JARVIS to turn on the shower.

The spray turns on automatically. Tony pauses by the sink to grab his toothpaste and toothbrush before climbing under the spray and letting the water wash over him. He flips the cap off the toothpaste and applies a pea-sized amount onto his brush. Tony sets the toothpaste on a small shelf in his bathroom. He slides the brush into his mouth and starts brushing his teeth, thinking over the last two days . . .

The drive to Coney Island only took about half an hour, but it felt like so much longer considering whom his teammates are. Clint stuck his head out of the window this time, whistling at everyone who passed by, much to their amusement. He only stopped when Natasha leaned over Tony and Bruce, and whapped the archer on the back of his head. The man rubbed his skull and mumbled angrily while Happy parked the limo in Coney Island’s crowded parking lot.

Once inside the theme park, the team immediately spilt up. Bruce and Natasha went off on their own, Thor, Clint, and Steve eagerly discussed which ride they wanted to try out first while Tony talked with Happy. The genius was about to suggest to his friend that they should get something to eat, but Steve and Thor grabbed Tony by his shirtsleeve and dragged him towards Luna Park with Clint leading the way and Happy’s cheerful laughter following them.

Tony spits out the toothpaste in his mouth before cupping his hands under the spray and drinking the water. He swishes the water around in his mouth for a bit before spitting. He grabs a small tan loofa and pours his favorite body wash over it before lathering and soaping up his body. He remembers that throughout the day, his three teammates took turns trying to coax Tony onto each ride and every time he shut them down telling them, he was completely content watching from the sidelines. He eventually gave in when the group passed by the Coney Island Raceway and Steve fixed the genius with his infamous kicked puppy look complete with the sad eyes and the pouty bottom lip. Seeing the smile on Steve’s face after he agreed was almost worth sitting the sweaty seat and getting his car rammed repeatedly by Clint.

The engineer steps under the spray, washing all the soap off his body before being to shampoo and condition his hair. Once again, the genius actually found himself having fun, despite the heat and Clint’s obnoxiousness. This could mostly be in part due to Steve, who always made sure that Tony was included and having a good time, something the brunet actually found himself appreciating. Plus, the man’s excitement about being there was contagious. Steve was sharing a part of his past with the team and Tony couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm.

However, his favorite part of the day came when Clint decided to hit the water. Tony didn’t get in the water because he still has a _slight_ fear, but instead he lounged on the beach while sitting in his rented beach chair. He glanced between fiddling with his phone and watching his teammates splashing each other with water. The genius openly gave his new friend a once over, silently thanking Doctor Erskine for creating the super soldier serum. Steve is one fine piece of man candy and Tony ogled the man, knowing damn well that every single person on that beach was doing the same damn thing.

Tony furrows his brow and shakes his head, causing water droplets to fly everywhere. Ever since the Avengers trip a few days ago, Tony finds himself thinking about the blond a lot and he can’t seem to figure out why. It could be because Steve is stupid fucking hot and looks incredible without his shirt. Tony had a huge thing for Cap when he was teenager, recalling the numerous times he jerked off with the soldier’s image behind his eyelids and orgasmed with Steve’s name on his lips. But, it’s not just his looks—Tony actually finds himself liking Steve as a person, which is weird because Tony doesn’t like people. Sure, they got off to a rough start on the helicarrier, but in his defense, no one was in their right minds thanks to Loki’s scepter.

The brunet ducks his head under the water and rinses the conditioner out of his hair. He almost wants to blush at the way he came onto Steve before Costco. Tony never volunteers himself for anything, so why did he volunteer to be Steve’s painting subject? He wasn’t lying when he said he wants to get to know the soldier more and after spending most of the day with him, Tony finds himself wanting to hang out with Steve more. The engineer thinks that his subconscious has ulterior motives, but he’s not entirely sure. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to get to know your teammate better.

Right?

Tony turns off the water and climbs out of the shower, grabbing one of the clean red towels hanging on a rod near the shower. He dries himself off and wraps the towel around his waist. The engineer walks over to the sink, and applies deodorant before entering his bedroom. He drops his towel on the ground and dresses himself in his suit. Tony moves and stands in front of his wall length mirror. He finger combs his slightly damp hair and fixes his tie before sighing. The billionaire grabs his phone and wallet and leaves his room, quickly entering the elevator and pressing the button for the living room. When the doors open on his floor, Tony exits the elevator and enters the kitchen, immediately hearing Steve’s disappointed tone.

“Clint, don’t play with your food,” Steve scolds. The soldier is wearing an apron over gray sweats and a white t-shirt, blond hair still damp from his shower. He is standing in front of the stove, currently flipping pancakes.

The archer, who is making a smiley face with his eggs and bacon, rolls his eyes. “Okay mom,” he mutters sarcastically, ignoring the glare Steve shoots him in favor of shoving a piece of bacon in his mouth.

Steve huffs and returns back to cooking before noticing the engineer out of the corner of his eye. He smiles. “Good morning, Tony. Are you going to be staying for breakfast?” he greets as Tony moves through the kitchen, grabbing a piece of toast and coffee mug.

“Can’t; I have to work,” He responds.

“Wait, you’re actually willing to go into work?” Steve asks with an adorably confused expression on his face right as Natasha enters the room clad in an oversized shirt and sporting bedhead. She yawns and plops down in the chair next to Clint and rests her head on her folded arms.

“Pepper will actually kill me if I don’t,” Tony yawns and finishes pouring his coffee before taking a hearty sip. He turns away from the coffee pot and nods at Steve, who has a plate and mug in his hands that Tony assumes is for Nat. He takes a bite of this toast and leaves the room, heading for the elevator.

**

The instant Tony arrives at Stark Industries New York headquarters Pepper meets him in the lobby and begins yelling at him in a hushed tone for being late. The engineer half listens to what his friend is saying as they head to the boardroom, where today’s unnecessary meeting is taking place. One of these days, Tony needs to fire his entire board staff and hire people who actually have good ideas.

The pair arrive to the meeting room in record time. The particular room chosen is has three plain white walls and one ceiling to floor length window that showcases a spectacular view of New York City. The rectangular wooden table is littered with graphs, charts, stocks, and a variety of other items that Tony is assuming will be used during the meeting. Tony follows his friend to the table and slides into one of the only available seats, which is at the head of the table. Pepper sits on his right and a woman with light brown hair, green eyes, and a light gray suit jacket and matching skirt to his left. The woman— Caterina? Cataillia? Tony doesn’t remember her name— gives him a small smile before turning her attention to the front where the first presenter, a man in his fifties or sixties wearing a black 3 piece suit and sporting a comb over is about to begin speaking.

Tony knows this meeting is going to be boring. It already is and it’s barely started. He’d rather have Clint use him for target practice or try and teach Thor the wonders of technology. Hell, he’d even sit through one of Steve’s “back in the good ol days” tales or attempt to take the man clothes shopping and listen to him exclaim, “that shirt costs how much?” Tony smiles to himself before frowning and shaking his head. There he goes thinking about Cap once again. For some reason, Tony can’t get the blond out of his head.

“Can’t get who out of your head?” Pepper whispers, her voice filled with curiosity.

Tony falters, his eyes widening. He glances at Pepper and sees nothing but genuine concern and curiosity in her expression. He panics when he realizes he’s been talking out loud. Glancing around the boardroom, he notes that the other men and women are arguing with each other and not paying any attention to what’s happening around them. Based on this, Tony is assuming that the only person who heard whatever he said is Pepper and while Tony is able to breathe a small sigh of relief, he’s still worried. The engineer can’t even explain to himself how he feels about Steve, much less attempt to tell Pepper. He snorts and waves the redhead off, watching her face twist into irritation. Irritation is good. He can handle that. Tony turns back to his employees who are continuing to argue and huffs in annoyance. This is going to be a long day.

**

That evening, Tony returns to the tower completely exhausted. He wanders through the lobby and over to the elevator doors. A quiet ding is heard and the doors open. Tony steps inside and presses the button that will take him upstairs. The doors close and the elevator rises. Tony sighs, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top two buttons of his dress shirt and running a tired hand through his hair.

A few seconds later, the elevator opens on the Avengers living area floor. He steps out and wanders into the living room. Clint is standing in front of the couch dressed in a fitted black t-shirt and loose gray sweatpants. The archer is holding two Wii remotes (one white, one black) and eagerly chattering to Thor, who is wearing similar attire. Thor nods along to Clint’s words, giving the smaller man his full attention. Tony glances around the rest of the room, noting that both the Wii and the television are on. He raises an eyebrow. “Clint, what are you doing?”

Clint pauses and turns to see Tony standing a little ways away. He grins. “I’m about to teach Thor how to play Wii Tennis! You want in?”

Tony shakes his head. “I’m good,” he says. “Maybe next time.” He walks around to the other side of the couch, sets his briefcase on the ground, and plops down onto the couch.

Clint shrugs. “Suit yourself.” The archer hands Thor the black Wii remote and beings loading the game.

Tony yawns and looks around. “Where are the others?”

“Nat is in her room, I think, Bruce is in his lab and Steve went to this charity event for war veterans downtown,” Clint explains as the loading screen for Wii Tennis pops up. Clint turns to Thor and grins. “Ready buddy?”

“I am prepared for this challenge,” Thor declares as the game begins.

Tony watches half-heartedly as the two play their game. He faintly hears footsteps coming from his right. He turns his head slightly and sees Natasha slide onto the couch, clad in an oversized white t-shirt and black leggings with her feet bare and her short red bob messy like she just woke up from a nap. She curls up on the couch next to Tony, close enough that the brunet could reach out and touch her. Not that Tony is going to, of course, because not only is he still extremely wary of the redhead, but he’s also pretty sure that Natasha could kill him with just a flick of her wrist. It’s just unusual that she would sit so close to him, or anyone, for she usually keeps her distance. Maybe the redhead is finally starting to let her guard down. Tony doubts that is the case, but Natasha is full of surprises.

The engineer is brought out of his thoughts by the sound of shattering glass. Tony looks over and sees Thor’s Wii remote sticking out of the center of the formally working flat screen. The Demi God has a guilty expression on his face while Clint looks over the scene with wide eyes. “Fuck . . .” the archer breathes out.

Tony mentally sighs. This isn’t the first time someone from the team has broken something, but this is the first television. Thankfully, being the genius that he is, the engineer had moved all of his extremely valuable and irreplaceable objects to his personal floor before the rest of the team arrived almost two weeks ago.

“Man of Iron, allow me to give you my sincerest apologizes. I did not know that my strength would be such a threat during this game of racket ball,” Thor says, his voice guilt ridden.

“We were playing tennis,” Clint corrects quietly.

All eyes in the room turn to Tony. He sighs. “Clint, where’s that TV you got from Costco the other day?”

“Still boxed up on my floor, why?” Clint asks.

“Go get it and bring it up here.”

Clint looks as if he’s about to protest, but Natasha shoots him a glare that effectively stops him. The archer sets his remote down on the couch and heads for the elevator.

Tony stands from the couch and walks over to Thor, who is looking deeply ashamed of himself. The billionaire pats Thor on the arm “Hey, buddy, it’s alright. Like I said, accidents happen, so don’t beat yourself up about it.”

Thor gives Tony a confused look. “You are not angered with me?”

He’s not angry, so to say. Irritated because the others keep breaking his stuff, sure, but not angry. It’s not as if they do it on purpose. Besides, it’s hard to be angry with Thor and the guy looks so pitiful right now, that Tony would hate himself more if he made the blond feel worse. “No, I’m not angry,” he says, patting Thor’s arm again. “Besides, it’s just a television and it’s easily replicable. I am a billionaire after all. Just . . . just be more careful next time, alright?”

Thor nods at Tony’s words and a small smile crosses his face.

The elevator dings signally Clint’s arrival as he enters the living room carrying the flat screen television and grumbling about how he always has to give up his things.

Tony ignores him and claps his hands. “Right, you guys set that up, while I go change out of these clothes.” He turns and goes back over to the couch. He briefly catches Natasha’s gaze, an unidentifiable expression on her face, as if she’s analyzing Tony and trying to figure him out. He mentally shrugs, grabs his briefcase and heads to his room with the sounds of Clint swearing and struggling to open the television box following him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was thinking about the design for Bruce’s robot helper, I was thinking of something like the Robot 1-X from Futurama. Unlike the Robot 1-X, Bruce’s can’t speak and has to recharge every five or six hours (it is just a test run). Also, I’ve never been to Coney Island before and I used the website as a guide, but if I made any mistakes about anything in the park, I apologize.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say that so far, this is one of my favorite chapters I've written! I'm still super excited about it! 
> 
> Let's get started!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

On Saturday morning, Tony finds himself in his lab updating the iron man armor, with Black Sabbath blasting over the radio and Dummy trying to be helpful.

Keyword: trying.

“Dummy, I swear, if you knock that box over one more time, I will donate you to an elementary school and laugh while the kiddies try and play with you.” The robot hangs his arm in shame and Tony rolls his eyes, returning his attention to his armor right as JARVIS says,

_“Sir, Captain Rogers is requesting entry into the lab.”_

Tony raises an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What does he want?”

_“He wants to know if you are still willing to be painted this afternoon, sir.”_

A confused look crosses Tony’s features before he remembers that he volunteered himself to be Steve’s model earlier in the week. “Shit, is it Saturday already?”

 _“It is eleven a.m. on Saturday May eighteenth, sir,”_ JARVIS answers.

Tony panics, scrambling his brain trying to think of what to say. He didn’t mean to spend all night in his lab, but the armor really needed updating, and Dummy kept knocking things over and distracting him. “Tell him that we’re still on and I’ll meet him on his floor in—” he sniffs his shirt and scrunches his face. “Thirty minutes?”

_“Captain Rogers says thank you and he will see you then.”_

Tony sighs relieved, a small smile crossing his features. He quickly finishes updating the armor and cleans up Dummy’s mess before telling JARVIS to save everything and shut down the lab. He takes the elevator up to his room, showers, and changes into a plain black t-shirt and faded jeans that are a little too big for him. Tony fiddles with his hair before deciding to fuck everything and simply spike it. He leaves his room and heads for the elevator, pressing the button for Steve’s floor and watching the doors close.

He arrives on Steve’s floor moments later, exiting the elevator and looking around, seeing no sign of the blond. Steve’s main area is fully furnished with the basic necessities and his entertainment system is killer. No wonder the blond doesn’t hang out in the Avengers lounge that often, this place is sweet! “Steve,” Tony calls.

“Tony? Is that you?” Steve yells back, his voice slightly muffled.

“Yeah, where are you?”

“Down the hall, third door on your right.”

Tony follows Steve’s voice to the room in question. He cracks open the door and finds Steve fiddling with a wooden easel off to one side, his eyebrows furrowed, and mouth drawn in a line. Tony enters the room, glancing around. The room is furnished with the easel, a long red couch in the center of the room, three large cabinets are placed against the wall on the right that Tony assumes is filled with art supplies, and a small drawing table placed against the ceiling to floor length mirror, which gives a spectacular view of New York City. The engineer’s eyes turn back to Steve taking in the man’s casual attire of a tight white t-shirt and gray sweatpants. Tony licks his lips before deciding to announce his presence. “How much skin do you want me to show?”

Steve doesn’t seem fazed by Tony’s sudden appearance or his comment. “How much skin are you comfortable showing?”

The brunet smirks. “Ooh. Are you going to paint me like one of your French girls,” Tony teases.

Steve rolls his eyes as he sets up his wooden easel. “I don’t know. Would you like to be painted like one of my French girls?”

“Why, Captain, we haven’t even had dinner yet!” Tony continues to tease as he pulls off his shirt and throws it on the ground before collapsing on the couch, watching Steve as he sets up his canvas, paints, and brushes.

Steve snorts and finishes setting up and looks at Tony, giving the other man a curious glance. “Is that it?”

Tony raises an eyebrow, not sure if he should be offended or not, before realizing that Steve is referring to the arc reactor. He takes a breath. “Yep, this is it in all its glory,” he answers as the blond walks over to the couch and kneels next to Tony to get a better look. The engineer watches Steve as the man looks over the reactor with curiosity and wonder—two emotions that Tony wouldn’t usually associate the device with.

“And this . . . device is keeping you alive?” Steve asks, looking away from the reactor and into Tony’s eyes.

“Didn’t you read my file?” Tony questions.

“Yes, but I’d rather hear it from you,” is the answer.

Tony doesn’t know what to do with this information, but Steve is looking at him with open interest as if he actually wants to hear the story and it’s making Tony’s stomach do flips. So, he talks about everything: how his convoy was ambushed, how he was held prisoner in a cave by a terrorist organization, and forced to make weapons. How Yisen saved his life by attaching a car battery to his chest—a technique that Tony later used to create the small battery in his chest right now—and how with Yisen he created the first Iron Man armor and was able to escape unfortunately without his new friend. He told the soldier about Obadiah, and how he almost lost his entire company . . . everything.

Throughout Tony’s entire confession, Steve didn’t interrupt and listened to everything Tony had to say. He even winced at some parts. When Tony finishes, Steve takes a hold of Tony’s left hand in his right and giving him a comforting squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Tony responds breathy.

The blond glances away for a moment before looking into Tony’s eyes. “Can I . . .?” he asks quietly.

Tony nods, still in shock with himself for spilling everything to Steve. He hasn’t even told Pepper or Rhodey everything that happened in Afghanistan other than the fact that he now has a battery in chest keeping him alive. He watches Steve’s left hand trail gently over the metal of the reactor, the blue glow encasing Steve’s features and illuminating his fascinated expression. The engineer’s chest tightens and his stomach flutters; no one has ever done this before . . . not even Pepper. Unconsciously, he raises his right hand and runs his fingers through Steve’s short blond locks, feeling nervous and elated at the same time.

“You’re incredible,” Steve says in a quiet tone, bringing his eyes from the arc reactor and meeting Tony’s eyes.

Tony takes a shaky breath. “You think?”

“I know,” Steve answers, his face open and honest, and Tony is overwhelmed with emotions that he can’t explain. He feels like his entire body is on fire and Steve’s hand is warm and comforting. He knows it wouldn’t take much for him to tug Steve down, but the blond is pulling away, muttering something that he doesn’t catch, and Tony knows he’s missed his opportunity. He lets his hand fall Steve’s hair, and flop against the couch. The billionaire watches the blond walk over to his easel; opening a few bottles of paint, he squirts the contents onto his palette before beginning.

Tony feels drained like he just had the life sucked out of him. What the hell is he thinking revealing that much to Steve? He probably just ruined whatever friendship they formed by moping around like that. But . . . Steve didn’t seem freaked out by his story or even by the arc reactor. He even touched it! No one’s ever done that before.

The billionaire watches the solider as he paints, noting the man’s complete focus on his work. Tony bets that Clint could run into the room screaming and firing arrows everywhere and it wouldn’t break the other’s concentration. He wonders if this is what he looks like when he’s working in the lab: his entire body both tense yet relaxed, hands eagerly fiddling with his tools as he builds and creates new ideas, listening to the sounds of his robots and music in the background.

The afternoon sunlight floods into the room, highlighting Steve’s golden hair making it appear as if he has a halo. Tony’s breath catches and he tries his best not to shift uncomfortably because holy shit, Steve is gorgeous. Moments later, the blond sets down his brush and smiles. He looks up at Tony and motions for him to come over. The brunet slowly stands, grabs his discarded shirt, and walks over to where Steve is, looking at the painting and inwardly gasping. The painting is a work of art, and Tony knows it sounds lame but Steve is fucking talented. He managed to capture Tony as not only a strong, uncaring figure due to his sprawled out position on the couch, but also as vulnerable and relatable if his expression is anything to go by.

“Holy shit, Steve,” Tony breathes out, his eyes raking over the painting. “This is incredible.”

The genius can feel the other shift uncertainly behind him at the praise and can only imagine the light pink flush on his face. “Thank you,” the blond responds. “And thank you, for modeling for me.”

“Oh, don’t mention it,” Tony says, turning to face the other man and taking notice of his small, proud smile. “Can I . . ?” he trails off, gesturing towards the painting.

Steve smiles wider and nods. “Of course. As soon as the paint dries, I’ll bring it to you.”

Tony returns the smile and steps away from the other man. He pulls on his shirt and heads for the door, hearing the sounds of Steve putting away his paints. The engineer places his hand on the doorknob before whirling around and blurting, “Do you want to get a coffee or something? You know . . . as a thank you for the, uh, painting?”

Steve looks up and smiles at Tony. “I’d love to,” he says. “Just let me finish cleaning up here and change, okay?”

The engineer nods, his heart fluttering and he should really get that checked out. “Yeah sounds, good. I’ll meet you in the lounge in say . . . forty five minutes?”

The blond nods. “See you then.”

“Okay,” Tony says, quietly. He leaves the room, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it. Fucking hell, the brunet can’t believe he just did that. He takes a deep breath trying to calm himself down. The genius slowly walks away from the door, trying to prepare himself for the rest of the afternoon.

**

Tony finds himself sitting on the living room couch waiting for Steve, bored out of his mind. There’s some random cartoon playing on the television, but Tony isn’t paying attention. He keeps replaying the conversation he had with Steve. Do you want to get coffee or something? Christ, Stark, could you be any more embarrassing? Tony’s so focused on his thoughts that he doesn’t hear Steve approach him, and jumps when the man clears his throat. “Hey, Steve,” Tony says trying to recover from being startled.

“Hey, Tony,” the blond responds his voice laced with amusement. He is dressed in a light blue plaid shirt covered by a dark brown motorcycle jacket, light brown pants and brown shoes. His short blond hair is spiked in the front. “Ready?”

Tony nods and follows Steve to the elevator taking a moment to appreciate the soldier’s ass in those jeans before averting his eyes and entering the elevator. When the door closes, the blond turns to him. “So,” Steve begins. “Where are we going for coffee?”

“There’s a small coffee shop, _Kristyn’s_ , at the end of the block,” Tony answers. “They make the best cup of coffee you’ll ever have—it’s even better than Starbucks!”

Steve furrows his brow before shaking his head and chuckling as the door opens to the main lobby on the first floor of Stark Tower. The pair exit the building and head west towards the shop. Halfway to the coffee house, Tony shivers and wraps his arms around himself. He wasn’t expecting it to be this chilly. He should have checked the weather before they left.

“You cold?” Steve asks.

Tony nods. “A little bit,” he answers before being surrounded by warmth. A surprised look crosses his features. Did Steve just give him his jacket? Tony touches his bicep and feels the leathery material of the blond’s jacket. The engineer wants to blush. He’s heard that Steve is a gentleman, but holy shit; he wasn’t expecting this on the first date.

The first _non_ -date, Tony mentally corrects. Because this isn’t a date. Nope. It’s just two friends hanging out.

Right?

The brunet turns to Steve, surprise still on his features. “Won’t you get cold?”

Tony wants to slap himself.

The soldier chuckles and shakes his head. “The serum makes it so that I don’t really feel the cold.”

The genius raises an eyebrow. He has the feeling that Steve is full of shit, but his suspicions don't stop him from tugging the jacket closer and sliding his arms through the sleeves. The jacket smells of Steve’s cologne, an oaky scent that’s not too overwhelming and smells amazing. Tony smiles to himself.

The pair arrive at _Kristyn’s_ a few minutes later and Steve holds the door open for Tony, the latter smirking and saying, “Why thank you, kind sir,” causing Steve to roll his eyes and smile bashfully. The shop itself is currently empty, but is a small, intimate place, with few tables and dimmed lights. The place has one long window with the blinds half closed that runs the length of the right wall while the left consists of the counter where the cashiers take their orders. There’s a door behind the counter, which leads to the kitchen. The place always smells of cinnamon and coffee grounds. Tony takes a big whiff and smiles to himself as he and Steve approach the counter.

The barista, a small, elderly woman with tanned skin and short ebony hair wearing her uniform consisting of a maroon shirt, black slacks and a green apron, looks up from the register and smiles. “Tony! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you here!”

“Maxie! It’s been too long. How have you been? How are the grandkids?” Tony asks in a joyful tone.

Maxie smiles, her entire face lighting up. “They’re doing fantastic! Joyce just started preschool last week and she loves it! I’ve never, in all my years, seen a child so happy to go to school before!” She laughs, a joyful sound, which reminds Tony of bells ringing. She glances behind Tony and notices Steve’s presence. Maxie gives Tony a sly smile. “Well, now who’s this handsome devil behind you?”

Tony blinks before turning to Steve, who is looking over the menu above the counter with a curious expression. He gently touches the blond’s arm to get his attention. “Maxie, this is my friend, Steve. Steve, Maxie.”

Steve gives the woman a smile before holding out his right hand. “Steve Rogers. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Maxie gives Tony another sly look. “Handsome and polite,” she says grasping Steve’s hand in her own and shaking. She lets go of Steve’s hand and places both of hers on the counter. “Steve Rogers,” she repeats with a faraway look on her features. “You know, I used to know a Steve Rogers. He was a skinny little thing; I always thought that I would break him whenever we hugged despite him being older. Did you know he was the only one to call me Maxie? Everyone else called me _Maxine_ ,” she said, emphasizing the last word with a scowl. Tony remembers Maxie once telling him that she hates being called Maxine.

The dark haired woman leans against the counter, fond gaze returning. “I was only a little girl, but I remember he would come into my parent’s shop that was previously located in Brooklyn with his friend almost every day. Steve would sit and draw with me while his buddy would flirt with my sister . . .” She trails off with an affectionate smile on her face. “When the war broke out, he said he wanted to join in on the fighting. I didn’t want him to go, but he insisted,” she chuckles, brokenly. “He kept trying and trying . . . until one day, he didn’t come back. I had always assumed that he gotten into the army but . . .” she trails off again. “I’ve always wondered what happened to him . . .”

Tony freezes at Maxie’s tale, his entire body tense. Holy fucking shit. He can’t believe that same barista that he’s known since he was in boarding school used to know Steve when she was a little girl! Talk about a small fucking world! The engineer slowly turns to face his friend, finding unconcealed shock and joy spread on the other’s face. Tony can’t even imagine what Steve is feeling finding out that someone he knew and watched grow up is not only alive, but has been right here the entire time.

Steve gulps. “Maxie-Max?”

Maxie perks up at Steve’s voice. “He used to call me that . . .” her eyes roam quickly over Steve’s features, really looking at him, before covering her mouth with her both hands, tears glistening in her green eyes. “Stevie-Q? Is it really you?”

Steve bites his lip and Tony notices the soldier’s bright blue eyes are looking watery. He nods and Maxie lets out a short sob before rushing around the counter and throwing herself into Steve’s arms, and weeping against his chest, muffled words of “you came back” drifting to Tony’s ears. The blond returns her embrace and rests his cheek against her hair, lips moving in what Tony assumes are comforting words.

The engineer gives the pair a sad smile. His chest tightens and he bites his bottom lip, wanting to shed tears of his own. The brunet shifts uncomfortably feeling a little awkward and out of place. Not wanting to interrupt the pair, Tony quietly steps around them and heads for the washroom. He opens the door and slips inside, stepping in front of the sink and turning on the faucet. He rolls up the sleeves of Steve’s jacket and sticks his hands under the spray, feeling the cold-water tingle, and freeze his skin. The billionaire cups his hands and splashing some water on his face a few times before turning off the water, grabbing a few paper towels, and drying his skin. He tosses the used towels in the bin before rolling his sleeves down again. He exits the bathroom, and finds Steve and Maxie chatting excitedly.

The small barista turns when she hears the door open, a wide grin crossing her face when she sees Tony. “Tony! I was just telling Steve here how you two have to let me give you a slice of my mom’s famous coconut cheesecake on the house!”

The billionaire smiles at her enthusiasm. “It would be an insult if I didn’t!”

The ebony haired woman’s smile seemed to grow even more as she ushered the two towards a booth, resting against the long window in the coffee shop. Steve and Tony slide into the booth across from each other while Maxie stands restlessly at the edge of the table. “Can I get you boys anything else? Coffee?”

“Black,” they say in unison before sharing a knowing look.

Maxie smiles. “Coming right up,” she chirps before hurrying into the kitchen, leaving the two men alone.

Tony places his hands in his lap and looks at Steve, who still has a small smile on his face. “So, you and Maxie?”

Steve lets out a quiet laugh before turning to Tony, his smile even wider. “Yeah, it’s just like she said. Bucky and I used to come here all the time. Even if we didn’t order anything, it was still a nice, clean place to hang out after classes,” he chuckles, eyes growing sentimental at the memories. “And when Maxie was born, we would babysit while Miss Kristyn and her husband would run the shop. I will tell you, that girl was both an angel and a terror. Whenever she was in the room, she had an air of “This is my house, I just let you in it,”” he says, causing Tony to laugh. “And when she learned to walk, she would slip Bucky and I treats from behind the counter—”

“My momma used to scold me for that all the time,” Maxie interrupts announcing her arrival. She is carrying a large circular black tray with two plates of delicious looking coconut cheesecake and two steaming cups of coffee. “But, she did have a soft spot for you boys,” she says passing out the items between the pair. Steve scoots further down the booth, so Maxie can sit down next to him.

The barista settles into her seat, placing the tray on the wooden table and resting her elbows against it. She looks fondly between the two men as they dig into their cake and give matching groans of enjoyment, feeling elated that she nailed her mother’s recipe again. Oh, if only her dear momma could be here now, bless her soul. She wouldn’t even begin to imagine that little Stevie Rogers had returned.

“Wow, Maxie, this is incredible,” Tony comments before taking another bite.

“He’s right,” Steve agrees. “It tastes just like I remember it.” He takes a sip of his coffee. “Miss Kristyn would be proud.”

Maxie blushes and bristles with pride. “Aw shucks, Stevie,” she says with a wide grin on her face. “Thank you.”

Tony smiles at the exchange between the pair. He can’t even begin to describe how much joy he feels watching Steve interact with someone special from his past. When the two finish their meals, Maxie grabs their dishes and brings them to the back leaving the men alone with their coffees. Tony nurses his cup and glances between gazing out the window and at Steve. He catches the blond’s eye and smiles into his cup at Steve’s shining gaze.

“Tony,” the soldier begins, wrapping his larger hands around his mug. “Thank you for bringing me here. I never would have guessed that . . .” he trails off, furrowing his brow, trying to think of what to say next.

“Hey,” Tony says gently, setting his mug on the table. “Don’t mention it.” Steve directs a blinding smile in Tony’s direction, and the engineer’s stomach flutters.

Maxie returns to the table and Steve smiles at the woman, kindly tells her that they should be going. She looks a little sad, but Steve promises to return as soon as he can, causing the barista to smile. The pair rise from their booth and each give Maxie a big hug, as the ebony haired woman informs them to return at any time.

Tony and Steve exit the coffee house, feeling satisfied. Feeling the cold air hit him, Tony tugs Steve’s jacket closer and glances around, trying to decide on what they should do next. He’s about to suggest the Met, when something catches his eye. A light blue minivan shaped vehicle perched in the lot of “David’s Used Car Dealership” across the street. He looks between Steve, who has a confused look on his face, and the vehicle before grinning and darting across the street, hearing Steve’s worried shouts following him.

The engineer crosses the street ignoring the car horns blaring around him. He reaches the other side and enters the dealership. He quickly finds a salesman, a tall skinny man who appears to be in his early twenties, with messy red hair, freckles dotting his face, and wearing a red and yellow plaid shirt, black khakis and polished black shoes. The man’s name tags says “Buster” and before the salesman could get a word in, Tony points to the car he saw across the street and says, “How much for the minivan?”

A surprised look crosses Buster’s features at Tony’s bluntness. He collects himself quickly and says in a snobbish voice, “It’s a Kia Sedona and it depends on how much you got?”

Tony is about to respond exactly how much he has when Buster is slapped over the head with a rag. The disgruntled man whirls around and glares at the person behind him. The new figure has neatly combed light brown hair and stubble across his jaw line. He’s wearing a solid dark blue shirt, black slacks and black shoes. He has a wide grin on his face and laughs at the salesman’s expression before waving him off. The ginger huffs in annoyance before stalking away causing the brunet to laugh again. He turns to Tony with a wide smile and holds out his hand. “Sorry about my brother, he’s in a mood. The name’s David and I own the place.”

The genius grasps David’s hand in his and gives it a shake right as Steve finally catches up. “Tony,” he says, letting the man’s hand go and pointing to Steve. “This is Steve.” He points to the Sedona. “How much for that?”

David lets out a hearty laugh. “You have good taste here, my friend.” He leads the pair over to the car and grins while patting the hood. “This here is a 2011 Kia Sedona, in as good a shape as any used car in this lot. She’s been fixed up the best mechanics in the city, and is going for eight thousand dollars.”

Tony looks between the car and David. “I’ll take it,” he says. David gives Tony a wide grin and rushes off to get the papers.

Steve flinches in surprise. “Tony, shouldn’t you think about this first?”

“No,” Tony says. “I want it, and I have money, so I’m going to buy it.”

The blond rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for the minivan type.”

“It’s not for me. It’s for you.”

“But, I don’t need a minivan, Tony,” the soldier protests. “I mean, I already have my motorcycle which you were kind enough to get for me. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for that.”

Tony snorts and waves the other man off. “It’s no big. I know how much your bike means to you. This is a gift and you’re supposed to except it.”

Steve smiles genuinely and Tony almost swears that his heart skips a beat. He’ll have to make a mental reminder to give the arc reactor a once over later tonight. “In that case, thank you, Tony.”

The engineer grins. “It’s what I do,” he says. He smirks and adds, “Plus, you are the Avengers unofficial mom, so why not give you the stereotypical “soccer mom” vehicle?”

Steve sputters in shock, much to the billionaire’s amusement. “I am not the Avengers 'mom’,” he says, voice raising an octave due to his embarrassment.

“Clint called you mom at breakfast,” Tony points out.

Steve rolls his eyes. “That’s because it’s Clint. He always does weird things like that.”

“True, true,” Tony agrees.

The conversation dies down and Tony finds himself enjoying the comfortable silence between the two of them, while they wait for David to return. He glances over at Steve and notices a small smile on the blond’s lips. The engineer looks around and notices Steve’s right hand dangling against his side. Tony bites his lip and contemplates on whether he should do something or not. He decides to fuck it all and take a chance. The brunet shuffles closer to Steve, placing his left palm against the soldier’s right. He looks away to hide a wide grin when Steve laces their fingers together.

**

“I had a really nice time today, Tony,” Steve says later that evening as he and Tony stand outside the latter’s bedroom door.

Tony’s heart warms and he smiles. “Me too. I’m really happy we did this.”

After signing the papers and leaving the dealership, Steve drove the pair to the Met, where they spend hours looking through each exhibit, cracking jokes and laughing so hard that Tony cried. They had dinner at a nice restaurant on Fifth Avenue, which Tony paid for despite Steve’s protests. The brunet is finding himself more and more attracted to Steve and he doesn’t want to say it out loud, but he really likes the soldier. Tony knows his feelings go beyond friendship, but he’s not sure how far they go yet. Plus, the billionaire doesn’t even know if Steve feels the same way. He did hold Tony’s hand the entire time though, so the blond can’t be too put off. And the soldier is smiling at Tony right now like he just won the lottery. The engineer’s stomach does flips and he gulps nervously, glancing between the blond’s eyes and his lips, trying to will himself to just lean forward. Steve is speaking and Tony blinks, missing everything the man says. “What?”

The blond laughs, and Tony feels his heart constricts and he really needs to get down to the lab to double check the arc reactor. “I said: we should do this again sometime.”

The brunet feels elated. He smiles at Steve and nods. “Yeah . . . I’d like that.”

Steve smiles back. “Great! So, I’ll . . . see you in the morning?”

“Yeah,” Tony responds.

Steve leans forward slightly and Tony thinks the blond is going to kiss him. Instead, the soldier places a hand on the brunet’s shoulder, and quietly tells him goodnight. The engineer watches Steve walk away, disappointment coursing through his body. He feels the blond’s lingering touch and raises a hand to his shoulder, fingertips encountering a leathery material. He’s confused for a moment before realizing he’s still wearing Steve’s jacket. “Wait, Steve!” Tony calls, watching the other man turn towards him. He gestures to the coat. “You forgot your jacket.”

Steve pauses for a moment before smirking. “Keep it. It looks good on you,” he says before entering the elevator.

Tony’s face feels hot, his heart pounding as the elevator doors shut. He fumbles for his doorknob in a daze for a moment before opening and shutting his bedroom door. He leans against it, trying to calm his overdriven senses. He takes a calming breath and grins. The engineer runs over to his bed and leaps onto it, landing spread eagle on his back. “JARVIS, you will never believe the day I just had!”

_“It appears that you have warmed up to Captain Rogers quite nicely, sir.”_

Tony nods eagerly. “I have. Okay, when I first met the guy he was kind of an asshole, but today, I got to know him even more and . . .” He trails off, replaying the day in his mind. “You know how you meet someone and you think, “Oh my God, they’re so beautiful.” Then, you get to know them-- like really know them-- and they just . . . shine even brighter than you could have ever imagined. And you find yourself thinking, “Wow, this person is incredible and amazing and they’re all mine” and you feel like you’re floating on cloud nine and—”

The engineer cuts himself off, his entire body tensing and heart pounding. Tony gulps nervously running his hands through his hair before letting them fall against the mattress. “Holy shit,” he breathes out. “JAR, I think this is more than I crush. I think I’m actually falling in love with him.”

JARVIS whirls. _“Shall I inform Miss Potts, sir?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I named the coffee shop and the original owner after my friend. She was delighted. lol.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

The next few weeks pass by like a dream, and Tony finds himself feeling better than he ever has before. The group had returned to Coney Island a number of times and the engineer even let Steve coax him onto a few rides, much to everyone’s amusement. Speaking of the blond, Tony has been spending the most time with Steve. In fact, the other day, the pair went on a motorcycle ride around the city, with Tony clinging to Steve’s back the entire time—not that he’s complaining of course. The billionaire has come to terms with the fact that he’s hopelessly and completely in love with Steve. Despite JARVIS’s snarky attitude (When did the AI become so sassy, Tony wonders), he’s decided against telling Pepper, or Steve, for that matter. The genius fears that the soldier won’t return his affections, even though it appears like Steve has some sort of feelings for the brunet.

Bringing himself back to the present, Tony is currently lounging in the living room with the rest of the team on a bright and sunny Wednesday afternoon, watching some lifetime movie that Natasha wants to see. Nat and Bruce are sitting next to each other looking intrigued, Thor is enthusiastic as usual from his place next to Natasha, and Clint is slumped against the one of the arms of his couch looking bored out of his mind. The engineer rolls his eyes. Clint should have just followed Steve’s example. The Captain, who is sitting next to Bruce, had fallen asleep about halfway through the movie, not because it was boring, but because Steve usually falls asleep while watching television. At least he doesn’t snore.

The engineer stretches and then curls back into himself. He grabs the fuzzy green blanket draped over the side of the couch and pulls it around his form. He leans to his right and rests his head against Steve’s left shoulder. The blond doesn’t wake, so Tony uses this opportunity to press closer and mold himself against Steve’s side. He sighs content and closes his eyes. The billionaire doesn’t sleep; he just listens to the white noise of the movie in the background and the sound of Steve’s steady breathing.

Sometime later, the movie ends and Clint groans with relief as the credits roll. Natasha fixes him a glare, but the archer ignores her as he stands and stretches. Tony opens his eyes and yawns. He slowly sits up and stretches, crossing his legs and looking over at the others.

“So,” Bruce begins. “What do you guys want to do now?”

“We could watch another movie?” Natasha suggests.

“No,” Clint responds, immediately shooting down the idea. He pointedly looks away from Natasha as the redhead gives him another glare.

Tony thinks. “Let’s go to Costco. We need a new TV out here so we can give Clint his back.”

Natasha shrugs. “Sounds doable.”

“How about we meet back here in half an hour,” Bruce suggests. The team mumbles their agreement and leave for their respective rooms.

The brunet watches everyone leave. He looks over at Steve and nudges him in the arm. “Hey, Steve, wake up.”

Steve groans and shifts, opening his eyes and stretching his limbs. “Tony?” He yawns and settles his eyes on the engineer. The blond gives the other a sleepy grin. “Hey you,” he says, voice still rough with sleep.

Tony’s stomach flutters and he smiles wider. “Hey yourself,” he responds. “We’re going to go to Costco again. You want to come?”

The soldier nods, yawning again and rubbing his eyes. “Yeah, I just need a minute.”

Tony says, “We’re meeting back here in a half an hour, so I’ll see you then?”

Steve nods his agreement and yawns again.

The billionaire smiles. He picks up the blanket covering his lap, and sets it down on the couch. He gives the blond once last glance before turning away and walking towards the elevator. Tony presses the button to go upstairs and watches the doors open for him automatically. After selecting the button for the penthouse, the doors close and take the billionaire to his floor.

The elevator doors open and Tony walks out before wandering into his room. He quickly showers and dresses in a faded plain dark blue t-shirt with white long sleeves, light blue jeans and a pair of simple black shoes. He parts his hair and combs it, deciding he needs a change from his usual spiked do. He glances over his appearance in the mirror before deeming himself ready. Grabbing his phone, wallet, sunglasses, and one of his many leather jackets, Tony exits his room and heads for the elevator.

The genius arrives in the Avenger’s main room moments later, finding Thor and Bruce already waiting on the couches. Tony walks over and plops down next to Bruce, startling the scientist.

Bruce places a hand over his chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Obviously that plan is failing.”

“Oh har-har,” Bruce deadpans, rolling his eyes. He has a fond smile on his face and Tony knows the man isn’t offended.

Tony goes to respond, but Thor burps loudly which prompts Bruce to go into an explanation about proper etiquette. The brunet rolls his eyes and shivers, feeling a sudden chill. He picks his jacket up from his lap and moves to put it on. He slides his arm into the right sleeve before realizing that this jacket is too big for him. The engineer’s face goes hot.

He has Steve’s jacket in his hands.

The elevator dings and Tony turns to see Steve emerge from the elevator and head towards the kitchen, sparing the three men on the couch a quick glance. The brunet stands suddenly, jacket clutched tight in his grip. He ignores the curious glances from Bruce and Thor and follows Steve into the kitchen.

“Here’s your jacket back,” Tony greets, entering the kitchen and holding the clothing item out to the blond.

Steve closes the fridge and turns to face Tony, a red apple in his hand. He takes a bite and raises his eyebrow. “I said you can keep it.”

“It’s not right for me to keep something that isn’t mind,” Tony says, thinking he sounds ridiculous. Every time he’s around Steve, his supposed “genius” flies away like a kite.

“Tony Stark is worried about keeping something that someone else gave him full permission to use?” the solider teases.

The brunet snorts. Apparently, he’s not the only one who thinks Tony is acting out of character. He shakes his hand that has the jacket clutched in his fingers at Steve. “Just take it.”

Steve sets his apple on the island counter and walks over to Tony. When the blond takes his jacket, their fingers brush and Tony involuntary shivers, feeling sparks. Instead of walking away with his jacket, like Tony thought the man would do, the soldier drapes his jacket over the brunet’s shoulders. The engineer’s eyes widen, too shocked to protest Steve helping him slip on the jacket. Tony looks between the jacket and Steve’s fond expression.

“See,” Steve says gently, attempting to fit the larger jacket to Tony’s smaller frame. He’s standing close enough to the brunet that Tony can smell the other’s sharp yet sweet cologne. “It looks so much better on you.”

Tony takes a trembling breath and shakes his head, his heart pounding against his chest. “Stop it.”

The soldier raises an eyebrow. “Stop what?”

“Making me feel . . . things,” the brunet says lamely. He sounds like a teenage girl confronting her crush. Well, technically, that’s what he’s doing, but Tony Stark is no teenage girl.

“Oh?” the other answers with an amused grin. “I hope those things are good.”

“More than you know,” Tony mutters. His eyes widen as he realizes he just admitted that aloud. Maybe Steve didn’t hear him. Though judging the soldier’s widening smile, that isn’t the case.

“Oh yeah?” Steve says, stepping closer to the engineer.

“Yeah,” Tony says, raising himself on his tiptoes, so they’re nose to nose. He braces his hands on Steve’s chest, curling his fingers at the base of the man’s neck. He looks the blond square in his crystal blue eyes. “So stop.”

“Make me,” Steve challenges with a smirk, leaning forward slightly. Tony thinks this is an unconscious move, but it doesn’t stop the brunet from leaning forward and closing his eyes to make Steve shut up when . . .

“Hey guys.”

That’s it. Clint’s losing his balls.

“Bruce told me to come and get you guys because everyone is here now. You coming?” the archer asks. If Clint’s wondering anything about their position, he’s keeping it to himself.

“Yeah, just give us a minute,” Steve answers.

The engineer listens to Clint’s footsteps retreat. Moment ruined, he places both feet flat on the ground and turns his attention back to Steve, who’s grinning down at him. Tony huffs. “This conversation isn’t over,” he declares, whirling on his heel and walking out of the kitchen, with Steve following behind him.

“I hate you,” Tony says to Bruce as he walks past the scientist and heads for the elevator.

“What did I . . . do?” the scientist wonders aloud.

The elevator doors open and the team piles in. Clint, being the closest to the doors, presses the button for the garage. The doors shut and the elevator takes the team downwards. Tony finds himself once again pressed against Steve’s front. The brunet looks up at the other man and meets his gaze, knowing that if the rest of the team wasn’t here right now . . .

“Oh dear Lord!” Natasha exclaims, cutting off Tony’s thoughts. She plugs her nose and waves her hand at the air around her. “Clint, did you just pass gas?”

“I ain’t got no shame,” the archer answers simply.

Tony scrunches his face up as the smell hits him. “Dude, you’re such an asshole.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Clint responds with a smile.

“Oh God, I’m going to die,” Bruce says, letting out a series of coughs. “What did you eat?”

The Agent thinks for a moment. “Hmm . . . some roast beef, some chicken, a pizza . . .”

“That’s SpongeBob!” Tony exclaims.

“Oh right,” Clint says. He falls silent before snapping his fingers. “I found what appeared to be a tuna sandwich is the back of the refrigerator and since no one had their name on it, I decided it was going to be my breakfast.”

“Appeared to be?” Natasha repeats.

“Wait,” Steve begins. “Was the sandwich in a small clear container? And it had a price tag on the lid?”

“Yeah,” Clint says.

“Oh . . . so that’s where that was,” the soldier says.

“How long ago did you buy that sandwich?” Natasha asks her nose still plugged.

The blond thinks for a moment. “Uh, I think I bought it not long after we first . . . moved . . . in.”

“That is a month old sandwich you ate, Clinton,” Nat says.

“I’m surprised you’re not dead,” Tony adds.

“While I’m not that kind of doctor,” Bruce begins. “I can predict you are going to have some major bowel problems tonight.”

“Alright, bring on the diarrhea,” Clint challenges with a clap of his hands.

“Oh my—” Natasha exclaims looking nauseated. “You are disgusting.”

“I is what I is,” Clint declares. “And I ain’t changing.”

“I do not understand,” Thor says, reminding everyone of his presence. “Why are you Midgardians so disturbed by certain odors? I am not bothered by Clinton’s passing of the gases.”

“That’s because your nose is less sensitive than ours, buddy,” Tony answers.

“Thank you, Thor,” Clint says, grateful that someone agrees with him. “Farting is a normal part of the human process and I will not let you shame me for doing it.”

The elevator doors ding, signaling their arrival to the garage. When the doors open, everyone except Clint and Thor, pile out of the elevator and gasp for breath. “You guys are so overdramatic,” the archer says and based on his tone, Tony is assuming that he’s also rolling his eyes.

Tony straightens his posture and crosses his arms while Steve, Natasha, Bruce collect themselves. He watches Clint place his hands on his hips and glance around the garage. “Oh! Minivan!” Clint exclaims. “I want to ride in the minivan!”

“Technically, it’s a Sedona . . .” Bruce adds.

“Whose car is that?” Natasha wonders. “Tony?”

“Steve’s,” Tony answers.

“Tony thought it’d be a brilliant idea to buy me one,” Steve informs Natasha.

“Mom car for our mom,” the archer says, nodding his approval. “Nice.”

“Wait, what?” Steve asks confusion on his face.

The engineer pats Steve’s arm—damn, Tony would give anything to run his hands along those muscles right now—and grins. “Ignore him and let’s go! I’m getting hungry and we can pick up lunch while we’re there.”

Clint snaps his fingers. “I like the way you think, Stark,” he says as the team heads for the Sedona. Steve pulls the keys from his pocket and unlocks his car with the remote. Clint grabs ahold of the door handle and throws it open.

“Steve,” Natasha pipes, right before everyone enters the car.

“Yes,” Steve responds, stopping mid step on his way to the driver’s side.

“Could we ride with the windows down in case . . .,” she asks, jerking her head towards Clint who was halfway inside the vehicle.

“Of course,” Steve says, nodding his head in understanding. Nat gives him a small smile of thanks.

Clint climbs the rest of the way into the car. Natasha waits until Clint is fully seated before climbing into the car and settling herself next to him. Thor enters next and sits behind the driver’s chair, where Steve has already situated himself. Bruce climbs in last and settles behind the passenger’s side next to Thor. When Bruce is situated, Tony shuts the door and slides into shotgun next to Steve. The blond starts the car and places his seatbelt on, motioning for the team to do the same.

“Everyone ready?” Steve asks. The team chirp yes in unison. The blond rolls down the windows, much to everyone’s relief, and locks the doors. He carefully backs out of his parking spot and places the car in drive. He barely pulls out of the garage when Natasha exclaims: “Clint, did you just—”

“I will not let you shame me.”

Tony resists the urge to face palm. He slides on his sunglasses and takes a deep breath. This is going to be a long drive.

**

Steve pulls into the Costco parking lot and shuts off the Sedona. Thankfully the ride over wasn’t horrible and had minimal farting. Tony makes a mental note to remember to clear out the common room’s fridge at the end of the week. The team piles out of the car and make their way towards the store. A cool breeze suddenly moves through the area, causing Tony to shiver and instinctively tug Steve’s jacket closer to his form. He silently chides himself for wearing the item, but is also glad that Steve didn’t take the jacket back. It still smells like the blond.

As the team approach the front doors, Tony notices something weird. The building is completely dark, the automatic entrance is sealed tight and there are two female employees clad in their uniforms, standing behind the door. The woman standing on the left is short with pitch-black hair and pale skin. The other woman is tall and has light blond hair and tanned skin. Tony can’t tell if her tan is real or not. Both women look terrified and the engineer assumes they’re new. The group pauses in front of the doors and exchange glances with the employees.

“I didn’t know you guys were closed today,” Bruce wonders aloud.

“Oh, we’re open, but we’re not allowed to let you in,” the dark haired woman, whose nametag says “Melanie”, explains before being elbowed by the blond woman.

Tony gives the women a confused look. “But, we didn’t break anything,” he protests.

“Well . . .”

“Clint, what the fuck did you do?” The engineer demands.

The archer shies away from Tony’s glare and scrunches his face up with shame. He laughs nervously and scratches the back of his head. “It’s a funny story, see me and Nat were—”

“Oh no,” Natasha says. “Don’t you drag me into this.”

“But you were there,” Clint protests. “And if I’m remembering correctly, you’re the reason why I lost control of the cart in the first place.”

“Your memory is failing you, Clint, you will not blame what happened on me,” Natasha quips.

“I’m not fully blaming you, I’m giving you partial responsibility—“

“Will someone please just explain what happened?” Tony demands, crossing his arms, and fixing both assassin’s with a steady glare. Natasha narrows her eyes, challenging the billionaire, but he doesn’t back down. As scary as Tony finds the redhead, the sooner this problem is solved the better.

Clint lets out another nervous laugh. “You see it all started when Natasha and I were by electronics and she—”

“Don’t,” the female assassin warns.

“—tried to jump out of the cart while I was running at full speed and pushing her . . . and . . . she slipped on some silly putty I’d found—”

“Again: Why did you take the silly putty out of its container and just throw it in the cart? You make no sense.”

“—And she fell out of the cart, right, and she tried to balance herself, but instead she rolled into the store’s storage facility and knocked into a television stand and well . . . we all know how the domino effect works.”

Tony sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He doesn’t remember hearing any crashing, but from what Pepper’s told him, storage rooms are usually sound proof. Plus, he was also focused on Steve and oblivious to the actions of others around him. “What else happened?”

“After that, we bolted. We managed to find another cart and pulled random items off the selves, trying to fill both carts up. That’s why I grabbed the television in the first place,” Clint answers. “Then, we met up with you guys. We thought we could, you know, keep it hidden, but—”

“Clint just so happened to forget about the security cameras,” Natasha interrupts.

“Like I said, you have partial responsibility for this mess—”

“Like hell I do,” Natasha answers, sharply. Her body goes tense as though she’s rearing for a fight.

“Guys,” Steve warns authority and power creeping into his voice, leading to Natasha immediately relaxing her muscles and Clint to stop speaking. Tony likes to call this the “Cap tone.”

The genius sighs, irritation coursing through him. Is this what his life has become? Is he never going to have a normal outing again? “How much is this going to cost me?” he asks, addressing this question to the employees.

“Around fourteen thousand dollars,” the blond, Tiffany, explains sounding chipper. The engineer would sound chipper too if he was going to be paid back fourteen thousand dollars in damages.

Clint cringes and Tony sighs again. “Just bill me,” he says, turning on his heel and walking away from the store with the team following behind him.

When the team reaches the car, Clint shifts awkwardly on his feet. “So . . . are you mad at Natasha?”

“Now, wait a minute,” the redhead begins, anger seeping into her voice.

“I’m not mad, just . . . annoyed,” Tony shrugs. “It’s not like I can’t afford to pay, it’s just a hassle. But, nothing that Pepper can’t handle,” he explains before climbing into the car.

After everyone settles into the car in the same seating arrangement as before, Bruce asks, “Well, since we can’t go to Costco at the moment, should we try Best Buy? I mean, technically you can get a television almost anywhere.”

Tony thinks for a moment. “Yeah, let’s go and see what they’ve got,” he says while Steve starts the Sedona and puts it in gear. “Oh and you two,” he says, addressing Clint and Natasha. “Try not to break anything.”

**

“Tony—?”

“Holy fucking—!” Tony exclaims. He drops his tools and whirls around, both hands on his arc reactor and his eyes wide. “Steve! You scared the shit out of me!”

Steve holds his hands up, looking amused. “I’m sorry?”

“No, you’re not, you punk,” Tony says, his voice laced with amusement. “So, what brings you to my humble lab? Don’t you have a kitten in a tree that needs rescuing or something?”

“Har-har, very funny,” Steve deadpans. He sidesteps Dummy, who is sweeping up some debris into a little dustpan and approaches Tony’s workbench. “No one’s seen you since we got the new television and I just wanted to make sure you didn’t die.”

“Aw, you were worried over little old me?” Tony teases with his trademark smirk.

Steve rolls his eyes. “Hardly,” he tries deadpanning again, but the fond look in his blue eyes doesn’t escape the brunet. “How long have you been down here?”

Tony shrugs. “I don’t know like . . . twelve . . . maybe fourteen hours?”

 _“Approximately, seventy-three hours, and counting,”_ JARVIS inputs.

“What?”

“Really? It’s been that long?”

Steve huffs. “Tony, it’s not good for you to keep doing this.”

“I appreciate your concern, Capsicle, but I’ve been doing this for years! I’m fine.”

“When’s the last time you ate?”

Tony thinks for a moment, and then shrugs.

“You don’t remember, do you?” At Tony’s nod, Steve rolls his eyes. “You’re coming with me and we’re going to get some real food in you and then, you’re going to bed.”

“But, I’m on the verge of something big! It will revolutionize life as we know it!”

“And it will still be here tomorrow. Come on, Tony.”

The genius wants to continue arguing, but judging from Steve’s stubborn glare, Tony is going upstairs whether he wants to or not. He sighs and reluctantly tells JARVIS to save everything and then shut down the lab. Steve turns on his heel and walks out of the lab with Tony reluctantly following. The engineer is so consumed with thoughts of his project, he doesn’t realize that Steve stopped walking until he runs smack into the man’s back. Tony stumbles backward a few paces and rubs his nose. The soldier turns slightly, his mouth twisted in an amused grin. “You okay?”

Tony huffs and waves him off. “Yeah, I’m fine, just thinking.” He walks around Steve and enters the kitchen, heading for the fridge.

“There’s some leftover Chinese, if you want it,” Steve says.

Tony hums and pulls out the containers. He sets them on the counter and grabs a paper plate. He shovels a hearty amount of food onto the plate before popping it in microwave and placing the containers back in the fridge. The billionaire hops onto the island counter and looks at Steve who is fiddling around with the stove.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m making tea,” Steve answers, chuckling when Tony wrinkles his nose. “I know it’s not your forte, but I’d like for you to sleep tonight.”

Tony sighs and Steve laughs. Silence falls over the pair until Tony speaks again. “Hey, let’s watch a movie.”

“Alright. What movie?”

Tony thinks for a moment. “Have you seen Dirty Dancing yet?”

Steve throws Tony a confused look, which answers his question. “Guess what we’re watching, Rogers?”

The soldier snorts and turns back to the kettle, pulling out two mugs and setting them down on the counter.

The microwave beeps and Tony eagerly hops off the counter. He opens the device and pulls his food out. Grabbing a fork and a napkin, Tony walks out of the kitchen and sets down on the couch in the living room, waiting for Steve to join him. “JARVIS, load up Dirty Dancing.” He says, crossing his legs and setting the food on his lap.

As JARVIS is loading the movie, Steve walks out with two piping hot mugs of green tea. He sets one mug on the coffee table in front of Tony and cradles the other in his large hands. The soldier sits on Tony’s left, close enough to touch (and oh, does Tony want to touch). The genius shovels a forkful of food into his mouth as the movie begins playing, not missing Steve’s amused look at Tony’s enthusiastic eating. In the engineer’s defense, he’s always hungrier than he originally thinks.

Tony finishes his meal just as Billy is inviting Baby to the secret staff party. The genius sets his plate on the table and grabs his mug, before settling back down on the couch and taking a few sips. Tony turns to the side and sees Steve eagerly watching the movie, not tearing his eyes away from the screen. He smiles at Steve’s joy, before a slow grin crawls over his face with the formation of an idea. He leans to the left and presses himself against Steve’s side. His grin widens and stomach flutters when he feels the blond’s arm wrap around his form. The brunet curls against Steve’s side and rests his head against the other’s chest, smiling fondly when he feels careful fingers running through his hair. Carefully cradling his mug so he doesn’t spill, Tony takes another sip and turns his attention back to the movie.

Hours later, Tony’s phone rings startling the engineer from his slumber. He groans and gropes around for his phone. Grabbing the device, he accepts the call. “What,” he answers voice rough with sleep and laced with annoyance.

“Stark? It’s Coulson. We have a problem.”

Tony glances at his alarm clock. That’s odd. Didn’t he fall asleep on the couch with Steve? How did he get to his room? “It’s four o clock in the morning and I was actually sleeping for once. Can’t this wait?”

“If the problem could wait, I wouldn’t be calling you at this hour, now would I?”

“Alright, sassy pants, it looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

“The same could be said for you, now shut up and listen. The faster we deal with this, the faster we can all go back to sleep.”

Tony rolls his eyes. “I’m listening.”

“It’s Loki,” Coulson says, his voice grave. “He’s out.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so long that I had to split it into two :P
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

“What?” Tony exclaims. He scrambles out of bed and rushes to change. He strips off his pants and grabs a new pair off the floor. He sniffs the pants and cringes. They smell musty, but they’ll have to do. “I thought Loki was locked up in Asgard, you know, permanently.”

“We’d thought so too. Apparently the definition of permanently has changed,” Coulson responds in a bitter tone. Tony can hear mechanical noises in the background and assumes that the Agent is preparing his jet for flight.

“Any idea on how he may have broken out?” The engineer asks as he struggles to put on his pants one handed.

“No clue, but the faster we detain him for questioning the better. Shield has pinpointed his location to Harlem. Now, hurry up and get your asses to West 125th Street. I’ll meet up with you as soon as I can,” Coulson says before hanging up.

The engineer is about to discard his phone when it rings again. “Hello,” he answers hastily.

“One more thing,” Coulson says. “Make sure you keep an eye on Doctor Banner. I don’t want a repeat of 2008.” The Agent hangs up again.

Tony gives his phone a confused look before throwing it on his bed and fastening his pants. He quickly sheds his shirt, and pulls on an old black AC/DC t-shirt and sprints to the elevator. “Jarvis, have a suit ready on the iron man landing pad pronto.”

_“Of course sir,”_ JARVIS responds. The elevator doors open and Tony rushes inside. The device automatically takes Tony down to the common area. When the team had first moved in, one of the few things they agreed on is that if there is ever an emergency, they are to meet in the common room, form some sort of plan, and then leave.

The genius arrives moments later and rushes over to meet the team, who are all clad in their respective uniforms minus Bruce who is still Bruce sized. Tony joins the others, meeting Cap’s eye and giving him a nod of acknowledgement.

“Alright, looks like everyone’s here,” Cap announces, adjusting his shield, which he has secured over his left arm.

Clint snorts. “Did you get lost or something Stark?” he asks, toying with the bow in his hands.

“Not now, bird brain,” Tony responds before turning his attention to Steve. “What’s the plan, Cap?”

“Tony and Thor, you two will fly ahead and hold Loki back for as long as you can until the rest of us arrive. Remember Loki is to be detained alive,” Steve explains, glancing over everyone.

“Or . . .” Clint trails off, tone sounding both hopeful and bitter. Tony’s surprised that the Hawk still holds some resentment over Loki, then again the billionaire would be pissed too if someone took over his conscious and used him like a puppet. The archer still probably thinks that everything that transpired over a year ago is somehow his fault. He idly wonders if Clint realizes that the only person blaming him is himself. And if that doesn’t sound hypocritical, than Tony doesn’t know what does.

“Alive,” Thor repeats voice low and dangerous.

“Right,” Clint responds sounding small. “Alive . . .”

“Alright team. Keep your comms on and stay safe. Don’t put yourselves in any more danger than you have to,” Cap says, meeting Tony’s eyes as he recites that last sentence. Tony gulps and nods his head once. The billionaire won’t make any promises, but he’ll try—for Steve. “Avengers move out.”

The team spilt up. Bruce, Natasha, Steve, and Clint head for the elevator, which will take them to the tower’s underground garage. Tony runs to the floor to ceiling glass windows. He reaches the glass door that will lead him to his iron man landing pad (where one of his suits is already assembled in a standing position and waiting on the edge) and throws the door open, darting outside with Thor hot on his heels. The engineer aims for his suit while Thor swings his hammer and takes off into the night sky, heading for Loki’s position.

As Tony approaches the suit, the back of the armor opens, and the genius steps inside. The metal closes around Tony’s body and the suit comes online, various screens showing Loki’s coordinates, the locations and health status of the other Avengers, weather, the armor’s status, Coulson’s position (his ETA is roughly forty minutes), etc. appear in front of the engineer’s eyes.

_“Sir, the suit is prepped and prepared for any magic that Loki may be unveiling in the battle,”_ JARVIS says over his and Tony’s private comm.

“Excellent. Let’s get this show on the road,” Tony declares. He diverts some power to his thrusters and takes off into the sky heading for Harlem. Through the faceplate, he can see Loki’s destruction from a distance: large fires that burn brighter than the sun and thick, black smoke rising into the sky. He can hear explosions that clap louder than thunder and the suit is picking up the screams from the civilians, who are caught in the middle of Loki’s fit.

Tony continues his scan of the area. After a few moments, he turns to his right and scowls. Switching to the team comm, he says, “And if you look to your right, you’ll see Costco aka Tony Stark will never shop there again.”

“Hi Costco,” Clint chirps.

Natasha sighs. “Clint, you’re an idiot.”

“Iron Man, what’s your ETA?” Cap asks.

“Three minutes give or take,” Tony says, flying out of the way to avoid a stray lightning strike. “Looks like Thor’s already stirring up some trouble. And to think he started without us.”

Not long after those words are spoken everyone arrives on scene to see Thor and Loki locked in battle, shouting war cries and adding to the destruction. Tony flies down to join up the rest of the team. When it comes to Loki, many times it’s best to let Thor handle the situation. The genius lands next to Cap’s motorcycle as Natasha parks next to him in her black Mercedes-Benz. Tony pauses. Widow is the only person he knows who would willingly drive an expensive ass car into battle. He recalls the woman once saying, “Arrive in style, or don’t arrive at all.”

Bruce climbs off the back of Steve’s bike, taking his helmet off and placing it on the seat. He walks forwards a few steps and glances around the area. “Hey, does this place look familiar to any of you?”

A loud explosion resonates throughout the area, knocking Bruce off his feet. Tony catches the man by his elbow and helps him keep his balance. “Uh, Bruce, I think we could use the Hulk right about now,” he says, steadying the man.

“Brother!” Thor shouts over the explosions Loki is causing. “Cease this madness at once!”

“You think this is madness, dear Thor?” Loki sneers, his eyes blazing. “Then, you haven’t seen anything yet.” Light forms around Loki’s fists and he launches it towards Thor, hitting the man square in the chest and sending him flying backwards.

“Stark, give me a lift,” Hawkeye says. “There’s a perfect spot on the building that Thor was hovering next to.”

Tony waddles over to where the archer is standing and grabs the man by the back of the shirt. “Going up,” he warns before taking off into the sky. He drops the Hawk on the roof of the tan building he requested. He glances briefly at the ground and sees Bruce transforming. Good. Based on the amount of damage Loki has already caused, this fight needs to stop as soon as possible. “Any civilians in the immediate area?”

“As far as we know, they’re all evacuated. Widow and I are on the lookout for any stragglers,” Cap responds. “Can you see a way to get past Loki’s defenses?”

“Working on it,” Tony responds. “JARVIS?”

_“Beginning scan of Loki Laufeyson,”_ JARVIS responds.

A lightning bolt strikes from a distance and hits Loki directly. The mage brushes off the attack like nothing happened. Thor flies over and hovers next to Tony, muscles tense and pulsing, face calm and eyes filled with rage.

“Thor,” Tony begins. “Do you have any idea to get past Loki’s defenses? Or what he may be up to exactly?”

“Nay, Man of Iron,” Thor responds gravely, his electric blue eyes fixed on his brother. “Loki is a powerful sorcerer and a formidable opponent. I was never as skilled in the art of magic as my brother is so I do not know how to subdue him. As for his plans, I do not know the answer. Loki does whatever he pleases, forgoing all consequences.”

“Guys,” Natasha calls, a hint of worry slipping into her voice. “I think we’ve got an even bigger problem.”

Everyone turns and sees an orange glow surrounding Loki, his lips moving in a wordless chant. Hundreds of energy balls appear around the neighborhood and slowly transform. These creatures are wolf like, fur as blue as ice and eyes blazing crimson red. The creatures snarl and sneer at the team, baring their teeth like they’re preparing for a meal.

“What are those things?” Clint exclaims.

“Ice Wolves from the mountains of Jotunheim,” Thor explains. “While these beings are easy foes, they travel in packs of hundreds and are pesky to deal with.”

“Great,” Tony says blandly.

Loki grins wickedly. “Creatures of the night—attack!” The wolves let out various grunts and howls before lunging at the Avengers.

Hulk lets out a loud roar and barrels down an indeterminate number of wolves. Clint fires off several arrows at the creatures, shattering the beings and keeping them away from his perch. On the ground, Cap and Widow are subduing as many creatures as possible. From the skies, Thor strikes some beings down with lightning and Tony is firing repulsor beams. Loki, being his usually unhelpful self, is attacking the Avengers while they’re distracted, sending beams of energy upon the team.

“Thor, we’ll take care of these guys. You handle Loki,” Cap orders.

“Aye, Captain,” Thor answers. He quickly flies over to his brother and bodily tackles the man, grabbing him around the waist and shooting upwards into the atmosphere, taking their fight towards the stars.

“Widow, watch your six,” Clint warns.

Tony flies low to the ground and takes out two ice wolves that were creeping towards Natasha from her blind point. He flies over her head and grins at the grateful look she shoots him before returning to the fight. Iron Man uses his gauntlets and physically knocks down a few wolves. He stands next to Cap and fires a repulsor beam at the man, the blast ricocheting off his shield and taking out the ice wolves in the immediate area. Tony exchanges a quick glance with Cap before taking off to the sky, flying towards Clint and taking out roughly ten wolves that were scaling the side of the building where he is perched.

**

The battle continues for some time. The Avengers work tirelessly to subdue the wolves so they can aid Thor in his battle with Loki, the sky lighting up with every clash. Luckily, the Hulk is taking out a majority of the wolves. Tony flies around the area, alternating between helping his teammates and keeping the ice wolves contained to the neighborhood. The situation would quickly become ten times worse if one of the wolves managed to escape.

At one point, Hawkeye manages to run out of arrows and relays this information to the rest of the group. He quickly explains that he had more arrows stashed in the trunk of Natasha’s car. Tony flies down, firing repulsor’s at the ice wolves surrounding the vehicles. The genius quickly opens the trunk and grabs Hawkeye’s spare quiver filled with arrows. In addition, he also grabs a few spare arrows that were randomly lying in the trunk, so the archer wouldn’t run out so quickly. He closes the trunk and flies to Clint’s position, dropping off the quiver and the extra arrows, accepting the man’s exclamation of gratitude.

Iron Man continues circling the area and is taking out a cluster of seven or eight wolves when Jarvis’ voice sounds through the helmet. _“Sir, the scan of Loki Laufeyson is completed,”_ JARVIS notifies. Several screens pop into the genius’s line of sight and he scans the charts and graphs, brow furrowing with each word he reads. His brow furrows deeper when he glances over the images JARVIS brings up.

“Guys, there’s something up with Loki’s eyes,” Tony advises the team.

“Yes, they’re very lovely,” Hawkeye deadpans, firing an arrow at one of the ice wolves. “But, can we focus on the real problem here.”

“I—Can you be serious for two seconds! His eyes are bright blue and his energy signal is different,” Tony snaps, eyes rapidly scanning over the windows JARVIS brought up of Loki’s condition. “Not only is it stronger, but it appears . . . . warped.”

“Man of Iron, are you implicating that my brother is being controlled?” Thor inquires over the comms.

“Like with the Tesseract?” Clint asks, wariness creeping into his voice.

“I don’t know for sure, but from the readings I’m getting, that appears to be the case,” Iron Man responds. He dodges one of the wolves that lunges at him and fires a repulsor beam at it, watching the creature shatter.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out for sure,” Cap adds before letting out a grunt of frustration as one of the wolves latches onto his shield.

A loud explosion sounds from above and a figure crashes down to Earth. On impact, smoke arises from the ground, spreading outwards and sending debris flying everywhere. Knowing that Clint, Hulk, Thor, and Steve are going to be fine, Tony flies low to the ground seeking out Widow. He spots the woman as opponents are surrounding her.

“Widow, hold up your hand,” Tony says, watching a gloved hand stick out from a sea of ice blue fur. The engineer quickly wraps a gauntlet-covered hand around Widow’s and pulls her out of harm. He quickly flies over to a ditch that the Hulk formed in the middle of the road earlier when he punched the ground, sending out shockwaves to destroy a number of wolves. He lowers the woman into the ditch and covers her body with his armor as waves of debris, dust and smoke wash over them.

After what appears to be a few minutes, the dust settles and debris stops falling. Tony slowly stands as ash and small rubbish fall from his armor. He climbs out of the ditch and glances around the immediate area, scanning for threats. He’s met with nothing but complete and utter silence. No wolves, no battle cries, no explosions. Nothing. The whole scene reminds Tony of the movie “28 Days Later” and he wouldn’t be surprised if hordes of infected appeared and starting attacking.

Hearing movement to his right, Tony turns and sees Natasha climbing out of the ditch. She brushes off her uniform, walking over to Tony and stopping in front of him. She gives him a small upward quirk of her lips. “Thank you,” she says, quietly.

The amount of gratitude in her tone nearly floors Tony. The assassin doesn’t usually show her emotions so readily, especially in the heat of battle. Maybe she’s finally beginning to trust the team more. After all, she did allow Tony to pull her from harm.

“Everyone alright,” Cap’s voice filters over the comms. Tony can hear a sliver of worry peering into his tone.

“I’m with Iron Man,” Widow responds immediately.

“Dude, did ya’ll see that?” Clint comes over the microphone, sounding shocked. “That was some shit man.”

“What about—” Tony begins, but is interrupted by Hulk roaring. “Never mind.”

“Thor, do you copy?” Cap asks. His question is met with silence.

“Thor, buddy, you there?” Hawkeye asks. Nothing.

“Shit,” Tony exclaims, immediately taking flight and heading for the direction the figure fell. He reaches the site in no time, seeing Hulk in his peripheral vision. The billionaire glances into the crater and nearly gasps at seeing Thor, strongest warrior in Asgard, lying unmoving in the middle of the pit. Tony lowers himself from the sky and lands next to Thor, immediately kneeling next to his fallen comrade.

“Fuck . . .” Clint says, quietly, having just arrived. He crouches next to Thor’s right, opposite of Tony.

The engineer hears movement from behind. Steve and Natasha appear on either side of Iron Man and look down at their friend. Cap places two fingers against Thor’s neck. “He’s still alive, but he’s barely breathing.”

“Did you just quote The Script?” Clint asks, flabbergasted.

Steve furrows his eyebrows. “Who?”

Thor groans, pulling everyone away from the conversation. The warrior opens his eyes and glances at the team. “My friends . . .” he begins, trailing off.

“Hey, buddy. Take it easy,” Tony says. “That was a pretty nasty fall.”

“Speaking of nasty, where’s Loki?” Clint asks, looking around. He loads an arrow into his bow, expression dangerous.

A low, evil chuckle resonates throughout the area. Loki descends from the heavens with two ice wolves the size of cutaway buses flanking him on either side. Triumph is written on his features. “Look at you,” he speaks, calmly, a cocky air surrounding his presence. Clint aims an arrow at Loki’s head, his entire body tense. “Broken, exhausted, still trying to fight . . .”

The villain chuckles, low and deep, like he’s already won. “Your precious Thor has fallen. You mortals have no chance against my might.” One of the ice wolves next to him snarls and bares its teeth.

“It’s like I told you before, tin head,” Iron Man says, voice filled with determination. He stands from his crouching position next to Thor, challenging the cocky God. “Even if we can’t save the world, we’ll avenge it.”

“Oh?” Loki responds, a curious look befalling his features. “But, who’s going to avenge you?” The sorcerer’s features harden. “I am a God, you insolent fool! You have no hope of defeating me—”

A laser knocks into Loki’s back, cutting of the sorcerer’s speech and knocking him out of the sky. A light gray fighter jet, shaped like one’s the air force would use, is hovering in the airspace that Loki was previously occupying. “You guys had one job,” a new voice says over the comms.

Fucking Coulson. “Took you long enough,” Tony answers.

“What did you stop to smell the roses on your way?” Hawkeye quips.

“Yes, and they were beautiful,” Coulson deadpans.

“Enough small talk,” Widow declares, bringing everyone back to the situation at hand. “Loki’s going to be much harder to deal with now that’s he’s angry. Cap? Plan?”

Cap quickly scans the scene before saying, “There’s still two wolves left. Hawkeye, you’ll join Widow and myself and take them down. Hulk, Iron Man, you handle Loki. Coulson, you provide air support to anyone who needs it. Thor?” he says, addressing his comrade. The Asgardian is sitting on the ground in an upright position, looking between his teammates. “Can you fight?”

“Aye,” Thor says with a nod of his head. He rises to his feet and gives Cap a determined look, Mjolnir clutched tight in his right fist.

“Then, you’ll join the others in brining Loki in,” Cap says.

“Alive?” Thor questions.

“Alive,” Cap confirms with a nod.

The air crackles with energy and the Avengers turn and see Loki hovering above the ground with a murderous look on his features. “Rip them to shreds,” he demands, voice low and dangerous. Both wolves howl and lunge into battle.

Coulson immediately fires consecutive laser beams at one of the wolves, while Cap tosses his shield at the other. Hulk launches himself at Loki, only to phase through the other man. The green man grabs ahold of the roof of a nearby building to prevent himself from falling.

“Clones,” Thor says, standing up and placing himself next to Tony. Dozens of laughing Loki clones appear in the sky.

“How do we know which one is real?” Tony asks.

Thor wordlessly raises Mjolnir to the sky calling cumulonimbus incus clouds to the battle. Thunder rumbles for a few seconds before lightning strikes the clone, causing all to fade and exposing the real Loki.

The villain quickly recovers from the attack, face twisted in rage. “You’ll pay for this brother.” Loki launches himself at the two men on the ground. Thor swings his hammer and flies into the sky, Tony following quickly.

**

Thor, Tony, and Hulk (with the occasional air support from Coulson) have been locked in a stalemate with Loki for what seems like hours. In between blows, Tony sees Loki eyeing the three Avengers on the ground, who are busy taking down the final Ice Wolf. The engineer gets a sinking feeling in his stomach. Before he can say anything, Loki unleashes a shockwave that blasts Thor, Hulk and Iron Man backwards.

Tony crashes into a building and groans at the impact. A screen flashes in Tony’s vision showing that the suit has taken thirty percent damage from this attack. He watches Loki cup his hands together, mouth moving in a chant. A large fireball appears between Loki’s fingers and he grins evilly, glancing between the ball of fire and Tony’s comrades.

The engineer realizes with horror what Loki is about to do, right as the villain launches the fireball at his unaware teammates. Tony struggles, getting the suit to move and launches himself from the wall. “JARVIS! Divert main power to the thrusters, now!” JARVIS wordlessly complies and Tony flies rapidly to his teammates. Knowing there’s no time to warn the others, Tony places himself between the fireball and his teammates, taking the entire impact.

Tony screams as the suit quickly overheats. Even though the inside of the suit is fireproof, this is no ordinary fire. He can feel the burning metal pressing against every crevice of his body, burning his flesh and causing more screams to erupt from his lips. He faintly hears the thud of his armor hitting the ground, indistinguishable voices shouting his name and roaring, but he’s not sure. Tony stops shouting, feeling numb—like his life is being drained from him. After everything he’s been through, this is how he’s going to die. Ironic, isn’t it?

Suddenly, Tony’s faceplate is being lifted and the worried faces of his teammates (minus Hulk) appear in his line of vision. Even Coulson was present—when did he not only land, but migrate from his jet to here? Tony turns his head to the right and looks at Steve. His mask is pushed back, exposing his worried blue eyes and ruffled blond hair glowing in the early morning sun, making it look as if the man has a halo.

Steve flushes a slight pink and Natasha scoffs. Did he say that aloud?

“He’s fine,” the female assassin declares, before muttering under her breath. The utter relief in her tone doesn’t escape the billionaire and he mentally smiles.

He meets Steve’s eyes again, noting the fondness and relief in the other man’s orbs. He tries to raise his hand to press it against Steve’s cheek, but his amour groans in protest. “Alright, JAR, how bad am I?”

_“Sir, there are no physical injuries to report. The armor took the brunt of the damage. I am speaking to you now through the suits reserve power.”_

“What? How? It felt—I was—”

“If I may, Man of Iron,” Thor interrupts voice gentle and soothing. “It appears that even in my brother’s unusual state, he did not wish to bring harm to your being. After all, he did make a promise to me and he is trying wholeheartedly to recover.”

“But, it’s Loki,” Clint says, still unbelieving.

“Even the most cold-hearted of foes can change their ways, if they are allowed the opportunity,” Thor responds, continuing to use that gentle tone.

“So, it was just an illusion?” Tony questions. His brow furrows as he tries to understand the situation.

“Aye,” Thor confirms.

Before Tony can respond, the Hulk approaches the rest of the team carrying Loki in one of his giant hands. He sets the God on the ground in front of the others. Thor immediately goes to his brother’s side, kneeling next to the man and placing a comforting hand against his shoulder. Tony sees the blond haired warrior furrow is brow in confusion, as though Loki rarely, if ever, accepts any form of comforting.

“Puny God has something he wants to say,” Hulk declares.

Steve helps Tony into a sitting position keeping one hand firmly clasped against the back of Tony’s armor. One glance is all it takes to know that something has changed within Loki. Not only have is eyes returned to their normal shade, but his aura is different. Calming, yet powerful. Something definitely happened to the God, and the billionaire is hoping he’ll give them some answers.

Loki glances at each of the Avengers. “I was compromised,” he says simply.

“By who?” Coulson inquires immediately.

“I don’t know,” Loki admits. He sways to the right before catching himself. “My memory is a bit fuzzy.”

“What do you remember, brother?” Thor asks gently.

“The last thing I remember was sitting in my cell and I was hit over the head and . . .” the raven-haired man furrows his brow. “When I came to just now, I saw the green man standing over me.”

“Is there anything else you remember?”

Loki sways to the side again before jerking upright. “The person who used me is evil—pure evil. I have never seen an aura so dastardly before and I was involved with Thanos.” A grave expression crosses Loki’s features. “Something big is coming. And I hope you Avengers are ready for it.” After those words were spoken, Loki’s eyes roll into the back of his head and he falls forward.

Thor immediately catches his brother and cradles him against his chest. He places two fingers against Loki’s neck and sighs with relief. “He’s unconscious,” Thor announces.

“I wonder what he could have meant,” Steve wonders aloud. “Who’s coming and what do they want?”

“I think that is a question that only Loki will be able to answer in time,” Thor declares, not taking is eyes away from the man in his arms.

“Thor, let’s bring Loki back to Shield so he can recuperate. Maybe one of our psychologists can help him figure out who was controlling him,” Coulson offers.

Thor gives the man a wary look, not fully trusting Shield, but ultimately nods his agreement. He stands, cradling his brother against his chest.

The Agent turns to the rest of the Avengers. “In the meantime, the rest of you return to base and get some rest. I’ll call if we find out anything.” Coulson quickly glances at everyone before turning to walk towards his jet.

“Wait, Coulson,” Steve pipes up right before the man walks off.

The Agent turns around immediately. “Yes, Captain?”

“Thanks for showing up,” Steve says, voices filled with gratitude. “You were a real asset to our victory today.”

Surprise flashes over Coulson’s features before he collects himself. “It was . . .” he clears his throat. “My pleasure to be of service, Captain.”

“Dude, I think you broke him,” Clint whispers to Steve.

Coulson gives the team one last look before heading for his jet, with Thor in tow carrying the unconscious Loki.

“Hey, soldier, wanna help me up?” Tony asks, looking at the blond. His arm is still wrapped around the armor and Tony wishes he could feel the warmth that Steve radiates.

“Huh? Oh of course,” Steve responds. He uncoils his arm from around Tony’s back before standing. The blond holds out his hands and Tony grabs on, letting Steve help him into an upright position. The armor groans in protest, but stays firmly attached to Tony’s body.

“You okay?” Tony asks Steve, regretfully letting go of the other’s hands.

“I should be asking you that,” is the response.

“I’m fine. The armor took all of the damage. It kinda sucks though—this was one of my favorite suits.”

Steve snorts. “Please for the sake of my sanity, don’t do something like that again. You had me worried, you big fool.”

“But, I’m your big fool, right?”

A surprised look crosses Steve’s features before fondness returns to his eyes. “Yeah, my big fool,” the soldier responds, giving Tony a warm smile that the brunet can’t help but return.

“YOOOOO Bru-cey! I didn’t know you were packing!”

_“Clint, shut the fuck up!”_

Steve and Tony turn their heads and see that, not only has the rest of the group migrated away from them, but Hulk has transformed back into Bruce. The scientist is standing in the middle of the road, naked and embarrassed trying to cover himself up. Clint isn’t helping. Natasha rolls her eyes and walks away from the men, heading for her car.

Tony picks his faceplate from the ground, while Steve grabs his shield. The brunet may or not have checked out the very fine ass presented to him. The pair make their way over to Clint and Bruce, Steve handing the latter his shield when they arrive. The scientist gives the blond a grateful look and uses the item to cover his front.

Clint frowns. “You guys are no fun.”

“That’s because you’re embarrassing the poor man,” Natasha says as soon as she’s within the guys’ earshot. She stands next to Bruce and holds out a pair of black slacks to him. “Here Doctor Banner, I figured you could use these after the fight.”

Bruce accepts the pants with a warm smile. Steve takes his shield back from Bruce and holds it in front of the man while he changes.

“Good?” Steve asks after a minute.

“Good. Thanks Cap,” the scientist responds with a smile. Steve nods in response, securing his shield over his arm.

“So, home?” Clint asks.

“Home,” Tony confirms. “JARVIS, how am I looking on power?”

_“Sir, there is enough reserve power for you to make one flight. My calculations confirm that you will make it back to Stark Tower with five percent of power to spare.”_

“Excellent,” Tony responds. He looks at the team. “See you at home?”

“See you there,” Steve agrees.

Tony smiles to himself and reattaches the faceplate to his helmet. The suit immediately comes online and Tony scans the screens in front of him. “JARVIS, take me home.”

_“Very well,”_ JARVIS responds. The thrusters come online and immediately launch Tony into the sky.

**

The billionaire arrives at Stark Tower after a short flight. He lands on the Iron Man landing pad, walking towards the common area, mechanical arms stripping the suit from his body with every step. When he arrives inside the building, Tony immediately heads for the elevator, calling the device to his location and taking it to his floor.

The genius heads for his room and enters, immediately sheading his shirt, dropping it in the hamper, and wandering into the bathroom. He walks over to his Jacuzzi/bathtub and turns on the water watching it flow into the tub. He sticks his hand under the water and waits until it warms before plugging the drain. The billionaire wanders into his room and checks his pockets, making sure he didn’t leave anything inside. He sheds his pants and underwear before discarding those items in the hamper. Tony grabs one of his many Stark Pads and walks back into the bathroom just as JARVIS begins speaking over the intercom.

_“Sir, Miss Potts knows of the battle and is on her way.”_

Tony freezes. “Shit.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

Tony sits next to his bathtub and turns the water off, shivering as the cold marble of the tub caresses his bare skin. He sets his Stark Pad next to the tub on a shelf he had installed after nearly electrocuting himself in what he refers to as “The Blow Dryer Incident.” The genius stands and sticks his big toe into the water before sliding down, groaning at the feeling of the warm water on his sore skin.

The engineer sits at the bottom of the tub and leans against the tile wall, relaxing his muscles and sighing contently. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath thinking over the last few hours . . .

Discounting today, there’s been no trouble from the dark haired man since he left with Thor for Asgard over a year ago. It’s weird, but maybe Thor’s right? Maybe the God is willing to change himself. In addition, who could be powerful enough to control Loki? The man isn’t an easy enemy to outsmart and Tony knows that first hand. Loki said that something big was coming . . . but what?

_“Sir.”_ Jarvis waits a beat. _“Sir!”_

Tony jerks, causing water to slosh out of the tub. He opens his eyes—when did he close them for that matter?—and blinks rapidly, glancing around his bathroom.

_“Sorry to disturb you, sir, but your heart rate was lowering and you were beginning to enter slumber.”_

The billionaire’s eyes widen. “Thanks JAR. I think it’s time for a nap now.” Tony climbs out of the water and pulls the plug, allowing the liquid to drain. He grabs a large, fluffy red towel from the rack next to the tub and pats his body dry before working on his hair. In the middle of drying his hair, Tony swears. “Oh shit. Hey Jar, can you let Steve know that I made here alright?”

_“Certainly sir.”_

Tony walks into his room, tossing his towel onto the bed. He picks up his phone and moves it to the nightstand before crawling underneath his covers, not bothering to clothe himself. The billionaire lies on his side and gives a satisfied sigh as his mattress sinks to accommodate his figure.

_“Sir, Captain Rogers states that he is glad you made it back alright. He wants to inform you that the team will arrive ten minutes later than scheduled because Master Barton wants to stop for chimichangas.”_

Tony snorts before smiling to himself and closing his eyes. Last night, he fell asleep in Steve’s arms and he’d give anything to feel that strong, warm body pressed against his again. He lets out a slow exhale before falling into a dreamless slumber.

**

The genius awakens hours later. The sun is high in the sky and there are no annoying birds (or Clint’s) chirping outside his window. Tony never felt more satisfied than when he punched birdbrain in the face. He was only able to get twenty minutes of sleep, after five days of no rest, before that asshole woke him up. Steve had made him apologize, but it was worth it. Clint hasn’t done it since. He rolls over onto his back, yawns and stretches. He sinks back into the mattress and closes his eyes, willing himself to return to sleep. “JARVIS, would you be a dear . . .”

_“Already begun, sir.”_

Tony smiles when he hears the coffee pot he had placed on top of his dresser for his own convenience start up. Pepper thought it was a waste of space, and boy, was she wrong. After a few moments, Tony sighs and reluctantly crawls out of bed. He slowly walks over to his dresser and grabs a pair of boxers before pulling them on. He goes to his closet next and pulls out a black tank top and his favorite pair of gray sweatpants. The billionaire dresses, smelling the rich aura of freshly brewed coffee.

“Hey JARVIS, where’s my suit,” he asks as he moves back to the dresser and switches off the coffee pot.

_“The Iron Man armor that was damaged in this morning’s battle is waiting on your usual table in your lab. Shall I have the proper equipment for repairs waiting for you as well?”_

“Go for it. Just make sure that Dummy doesn’t knock anything over.”

_“I shall do my best, sir.”_

Tony grabs the coffee pot handle and pours a generous amount into his mug. Placing the pot where it belongs, he takes a hearty sip of his coffee, sighing as the liquid warms his body. He slips his feet into an old pair of sneakers, grabs his phone and heads for the elevator, calling the device to his floor and having it take him downstairs.

The elevator doors open and Tony walks into the complete silence of the common room, which is unusual seeing as Clint lives here. The genius wanders into the kitchen deciding to make himself breakfast consisting of toast and a few of those plumcots that Steve introduced to him.

The engineer walks over to the breadbox, which is resting on the counter next to the fridge. He sets his coffee mug on the counter and opens the box, pulling out two slices of whole wheat bread (which Steve insists is so much better than white bread) before popping them into the toaster. He opens the fridge and grabs two plumcots, peeling off the stickers and quickly washing the fruits off under the tap. He takes a bite from one and sets the other on a paper towel.

Tony glances around the area again before sighing, curiosity clinging to him. “JARVIS, where is everyone?”

The response is immediate. _“Mistress Romanov and Doctor Banner are asleep on their respective floors. Master Thor and Master Barton are at Shield Headquarters, and Captain Rogers left minutes before you awoke saying he wanted to check on an old friend.”_

Tony’s betting that he’s going to check on Maxie. There’s a donut ship in Harlem that the woman adores and visits every morning. Even though the battle was early enough, he still hopes that she wasn’t around. The genius makes a mental note to stop by _Kristyn’s_ soon just to make sure she’s alright. “Thanks JAR,” he responds as his toast pops out of the toaster. Tony grabs a paper plate and places the toast and the plumcots onto it. He also grabs and paper towel and his coffee cup and walks down the stairs to his lab.

He reaches the door and punches in the code for his lab. He walks inside his workspace, and is greeted by Dummy, who chirps happily from the corner. He hears the robot roll towards him before running into a table. Tony rolls his eyes fondly, and walks over to one of his tables where his suit is waiting in pieces. The engineer sets down his breakfast and picks up his helmet, glancing over it with a serious expression. He sets the helmet down and takes a bite of his toast.

_“Sir, I want to make you aware that Miss Potts has landed JFK International Airport and should arrive at the Tower in approximately forty-five minutes.”_

Tony sighs. He knew he was going to have to deal with Pepper eventually, and he was hoping it would be later. Unfortunately, it can’t be helped especially when Pepper is determined to chew him out. “Thanks Jar. Keep me posted.”

_“Of course, sir,”_ is the response.

The engineer sighs, looking down at his damaged armor and takes another bite of his toast. He has a lot of work to do.

**

Tony is so absorbed in working on his suit that he barely hears his phone going off. He turns his welding torch off and pulls the mask off his face. He fishes his phone from his pocket and checks his messages, noticing he has one from Steve. Funny, he didn’t know that the all-American boy knew how to text. It reads, _**‘I just got off the phone with Fury. He wants us to report to base this evening for a briefing.’**_

The genius responds: _**‘Oh great, just how I wanted to spend my night.’**_

_**‘You’re telling me.’** _

_**‘Did he say anything about Loki?’** _

_**‘No, but Thor’s still at base, and hopefully Loki’s starting to remember something.’** _

_**‘Speaking of remembering, I didn’t know you knew how to text.’** _

_**‘I may be from the past and very confused, but I’m not slow. Clint showed me.’** _

The engineer snorts. **_‘Thankfully, he didn’t teach you that God awful text speech.’_**

**_‘What?’_ **

**_‘Whre u typ lyke dis n no1 undrstnds wat ur sayin.’_ **

**_‘. . . I can’t understand your accent.’_ **

The genius grins and bites his lip. **_‘Did you just make a SpongeBob reference?’_**

_**‘Yes, Yes I did. That weird show is one of the few things that can calm down Bruce when he’s angry and by now I’ve probably seen the entire series.’** _

_**‘He sure does love that show.’** _

_**‘Hey, you know what they say: never get between a man and his love for a talking sponge.’** _

Tony laughs and smiles down at his phone. He really enjoys talking to Steve. Not only can he be himself around the man, but the blond has the ability to make him forget about everything horrible that’s going on and make him focus on the wonderful things in life like cheesecake, Frank Sinatra, and the sound of Steve’s carefree laugh when he understands a post forties reference.

_**‘You make me so happy,’** _ he types and sends before realizing what he confessed. Tony stares at his phone, horrified and willing the message to return. Moments later, his phone vibrates and he eagerly checks the text.

**_‘You make me happy too. So much. You light up my world like nobody else.’_ **

The billionaire smiles, his heart beating quickly and stomach fluttering. He reads over the message again before furrowing his brow. ** _‘Did you just quote One Direction to me?’_**

**_‘Yes . . . the song was just on the radio and it’s really catchy! I thought it worked.’_ **

The genius smiles again. ** _‘It does, you big dork.’_**

**_‘Hey, being a dork never stopped me before.’_ **

Tony laughs aloud again and grins. He’s about to reply when Steve sends another message.

**_‘Hey, are you coming to dinner tonight? Clint’s not cooking so it will actually be good.’_ **

Tony snorts. Clint’s one of those people thinks he’s a master chef when in reality he could burn cereal—and has. **_‘Well since the threat of a hospital visit is omitted, I’ll be sure to make it. I just have to work on some armor repairs first. Remind me?’_**

**_‘Sure. I’ll come down and get you when it’s ready.’_ **

**_‘Sounds like a plan. See you soon!’_ **

**_‘See you.’_ **

The engineer sets his phone down, trying and failing to suppress another grin. He likes Steve—he likes him a lot and Tony really needs to make a move before he drives himself insane. Unfortunately, there’s never been a good time. Okay, that’s a lie, but every time something is about to happen between them, there’s some kind of interruption. Tony doesn’t know about anyone else, but he really wants to kiss Steve.

Tony turns back to his tools and the damaged armor. Before he can even think about getting back to work, JARVIS urgently states:

_“Sir, Miss Potts is in the tower and—”_

“Tony!”

The genius looks up and sees Pepper standing in the doorway, features twisted with fury. Her clipboard is clutched so tightly in her hand that the engineer thinks the wood might snap. The joy slips off Tony’s face and he braces himself for Pepper’s wrath.

“We need to talk now,” Pepper demands, her face red with anger. She quickly moves to her boss’s side and slaps her clipboard down on the table.

Tony doesn’t want to deal with this. He wants to work on his equipment. “See, now’s not a good time, Pep. I’m in the middle of trying to repair my suit.”

“No, you’re going to talk with me whether you like it or not,” She responds through gritted teeth.

Tony sighs and looks at Pepper with a nonchalant expression, watching as the woman clenches her fists, nails digging into her palms.

“Natasha filled me in, what the hell was that back there?” Pepper asks trying to keep her tone calm. She’s failing.

Tony shrugs. “We got control of the situation.”

“But you didn’t have to throw yourself in the middle of the attack, you could have been killed!” Pepper shrieks, slamming her left fist against the lab table.

“It was either: me throw myself in the way, or watch Clint, Natasha and Steve burn. Did she mention that when she _“filled you in”_?” Tony declares looking directly into Pepper’s eyes. He knows he’s being cruel, but fuck it. “My suit can withstand any temperature, well almost any temperature, but they would have been ash.”

“Do you really have to be so _reckless_ all the time?”

“Hey, I get results and that’s all that matters.”

A look of surprise flashes over Pepper’s face before twisting into rage. “Anthony Edward Stark, are you out of your _fucking_ mind? Results aren’t the only thing that matter!” She screams her patience with the other man finally cracking. “You see this is the reason why we didn’t work out! You have no regard for the feelings of those around you! Hell, I don’t even think you care about yourself! You only care about petty little things like _results_!”

The shock of Pepper’s words floods over Tony, his mind going blank and his features neutral. Pepper realizes what she just blurted. The tension and anger drains from her body as she registers Tony’s shocked silence. “Tony,” she begins guilt washing over her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“Get out,” he breathes.

“Tony, can we just—”

“Pepper!” Tony snaps, watching the woman flinch. He closes his eyes and balls his hands into a fist. The engineer takes a deep breath before opening his eyes. “Just leave, before I say something that we’re both going to regret.”

The redhead moves as if she is going to say something else but instead shoots Tony a look of regret before picking up her clipboard and leaving the lab.

Tony sighs and sits heavily in his lab chair. He halfheartedly nudges his tools, before grabbing his screwdriver and throwing it against the wall, starling Dummy. He sits back down onto his chair. He rests his elbows on his knees and places his head in his hands. He closes his eyes and listens to the sounds of Dummy moving towards him. The genius feels a robotic claw against his shoulder and he lets out a choked sob. “Fucking hell . . .”

**

“Tony?” a familiar voice calls quietly.

“Steve?” Tony croaks from the corner, laying on the floor and barely hanging onto consciousness. “Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay? It looks like a war zone in here,” Steve asks, referring to the machine parts, broken glass, and various items thrown all about the area.

“. . . I’m fine . . .” He hears the soldier’s footsteps approach his form and watches the other man kneel next to him out of the corner of his eye . He feels the blond gently removing the broken bottle of scotch from his hand, and setting it off to the side. Tony opens his eyes and winces at the bright light. Unfocused dark brown eyes met blue ones. “How did you . . .?”

“JARVIS.”

Tony scoffs. “Figures.” He sighs as he starts to sober up. A few bottles aren’t enough to get him drunk, just tipsy. “How long have I been down here?”

“A few hours at best. I was going to come down in an hour or so to remind you about dinner, but JARVIS helpfully suggested I should come now.”

The billionaire bites his lip and ignores the throbbing at the back of his head. “Help me, up?”

Steve gently helps the other man into a standing position steadying him when he starts swaying. The Captain leads Tony over to one of his lab chairs. He helps the other sit down, watching as the brunet slumps against the table.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” the blond asks crossing his arms.

Tony pauses then sighs. “Pepper and I had a fight.”

“I’m sorry.”

The genius shakes his head. “Don’t be. It isn’t your fault.”

“I know,” the soldier responds. “But, I’m still sorry it happened.”

Tony swallows. “Yeah, um, thanks.” He pauses. “Hey, can I tell you something?”

“Of course,” Steve says a concerned expression on his face. He unfolds his arms and leans against the lab table giving the genius his full attention.

The engineer takes a breath. “You know that Pepper and I used to be a thing right?” Steve nods. “When we broke up after the whole issue in California, she said that we didn’t click anymore. I agreed with her. I mean, honestly we were better friends than we were a couple and she was always in more danger as my partner, so . . .”

“So, the break up was mutual?”

Tony nods. “Yeah, it was, or at least that’s what I thought up until a few hours ago. She came into the lab and we got into an argument and she says that my recklessness and disregard of others is why she broke up with me.” He shakes his head. “I know we broke up months ago, but it pisses me off that she didn’t tell me from the get-go! I mean, what, did she think I wouldn’t be able to handle the truth?” He sniffles and looks away from the blond. “All she did is confirm what I already knew. I screwed it up, just like I do every relationship.” Tony lifts his eyes and looks at Steve. “Am I a bad person?”

“Of course not,” Steve responds honestly. Tony snorts. “I’m serious.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

The soldier sighs. “Have you talked to her since then?”

Tony’s shoulders tense giving Steve his answer. “You should call her, Tony.”

“I don’t want to,” the other protests. “Besides, she probably hates me now. I all but threw her out.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t hate you—”

“You don’t know that,” Tony says suddenly, cutting off the other man. “She hates me, I know she does. What if she wants to quit the company! The entire thing will collapse! Well, not the entire thing but a huge chunk of it will—”

“Tony—”

“And I’ll be alone,” he continues, ignoring Steve as if he didn’t even speak. “Sure, I’ll have Rhodey, Happy, you and the rest of the team, but Pepper is Pepper. There’s never been a Tony without a Pepper no matter what state our relationship is in, I mean, she’s always been there and now she won’t be and— I used to call us Pepperony, Steve, and there will be no Pepper to my ony and this is awful and—”

“Tony!” Steve says forcefully, cutting off Tony’s babble. “Pepper doesn’t hate you and no one is going anywhere.” His eyes scan Tony’s face searching for some kind of answer. Placing gentle hands on Tony’s shoulders, he steps closer to the engineer. “What can I do to make you understand that?”

“Don’t leave,” Tony answers immediately, his voice laced with fear. The brunet feels a wave of nausea, nervousness, and a hint of embarrassment wash over him.

“I give you my word, that I won’t,” Steve responds heartfelt.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Tony says in a shaky voice. He gulps, feeling vulnerable, which is something he hasn’t experienced in a long time.

“I always keep my word,” the Captain says.

His voice is so genuine that, despite his doubts, Tony can’t help but believe him. He gulps and takes another shaky breath. The genius places his hands on Steve’s chest, before sliding them up and burying his fingers in the blond tresses. “Steve . . .” He shakes his head before tugging the soldier down and bringing their mouths together.

Steve immediately returns the kiss, moving his hands to Tony’s waist, and running his hands along the brunet’s sides. The shorter man makes a sound of approval before arching upward and pressing harder against Steve’s mouth. Steve nibbles at Tony’s bottom lip and slips his tongue into the other’s mouth, earning a groan from the billionaire. The blond moves his hands from Tony’s waist, placing them under his thighs and lifting the other man off the stool. Tony wraps his legs around Steve’s waist and grips the others hair tighter.

The soldier sets Tony down on a lab table without breaking their kiss the new angle getting a noise of approval from the brunet. The latter’s hands slide from Steve’s hair and find their way under the blond’s shirt, running his hands over Steve’s impressive abs. He tugs the offending garment upward until the soldier breaks the kiss to pull his shirt off and toss it on the floor somewhere before immediately bringing their lips together again. Tony places his hands on Steve’s arms, running his hands along the toned limbs and moaning while Steve’s larger and warmer hands make their home on Tony’s lower back, occasionally moving to run along his hips and thighs.

The two remain in that position for an undetermined amount of time: licking, kissing, biting, grinding, groping. It feels like hours, it may have only been minutes, but one thing is certain: it feels right.

_“Sir?”_

Tony ignores is AI in favor of licking into Steve’s mouth, tasting raspberry tea and something that’s just Steve. The blond moves his hands from Tony’s hips to underneath is tank top, gently running his nails against the engineer’s abs causing him to squirm and whine against Steve’s lips.

_“Sir!”_

The genius regretfully parts from the kiss, his lips brushing against Steve’s with every word. “Not now, JARVIS, I’m busy,” Tony answers breathlessly before reattaching their mouths together.

_“Sir!”_

Steve pulls away from Tony, looking positively wrecked. His hair disheveled, chest panting, blue eyes blown wide and clouded with lust. Tony is sure he is in a similar state. “It could be important.”

Tony detaches his hands from Steve’s arms and runs his fingers through the other man’s hair, attempting to smooth the blond tresses out. “Babe, nothing is as important as you.” He grins at the flush that blooms over Steve’s face. “You’re so cute.”

“Shut up,” Steve says, trying to suppress the loving grin that’s slowly crossing his features.

_“Sir,”_ JARVIS begins again. _“Director Fury is calling an emergency meeting at the Helicarrier. Attendance is mandatory.”_

Steve and Tony exchange a grim look. The billionaire has a sinking feeling that this meeting isn’t going to end well. “Alright, JARVIS, tell everyone to suit up and—Clint’s back right? If he is, have him fire up the Quinjet. Cap and I will be there shortly.”

_“Right away, sir.”_

They slowly detangle from each other. Tony hops off the table, and tries to fix his appearance while Steve grabs his shirt and pulls it on. Regardless of their efforts, the others would probably know what they were up to anyway and the brunet could care less. Steve’s wonderful and attractive and Tony finally made his move.

The billionaire leads the way out of the lab with Steve in tow. Tony pauses in the doorway before whirling around to face Steve. He grabs the other man’s shirt before tugging him into another kiss. The genius pulls away after a few moments and grins at the surprise on Steve’s face. “For good luck.”

“Right,” Steve agrees distracted. “Good luck, right.”

Tony lets his hands fall from Steve’s shirt. He bites his bottom lip before grabbing Steve’s hand and dragging the man upstairs.

**

The flight to Shield Headquarters doesn’t take long, once everyone managed to assemble. Natasha was late, claiming she had important business to attend to, but Tony suspects that she was finishing her favorite Russian soap opera. Everyone who hadn’t changed into their uniforms before meeting were forced to change on the jet, which only has two bathrooms—one for the guys and one for Natasha, who claims that she doesn’t want to share her private space with a bunch of smelly men.

Tony completely understands.

Fortunately, the rest of the team were already dressed in their respective uniforms, giving Tony the chance to shamelessly make out with, and grind against a half-naked Steve in the bathroom before Clint banged on the door and said, “Hurry up! I need to let this massive shit out before we get there! I can’t properly deal with Fury if I’m backed up!”

That was a definite mood killer.

The Avengers arrive on base moments later, converge with Thor, and hurry to the conference room where Fury and Agent Hill are waiting impatiently. Tony glances around. No Coulson in sight, which is something unusual seeing as Coulson is always there . . . even when he’s not wanted.

Fury sighs heavily and places his hands on his hips. “Good, you’re all here. Take a seat,” he says, gesturing to the table. The team quickly takes their places. Usually they would argue about who sits next to who, but there’s a time and place for everything.

“Loki has been completely corporative,” Fury begins his voice firm and authoritative. “His claims of being compromised have been verified by experiments conducted with Thor’s supervision and Loki’s permission, of course.” The Director opens his mouth to continue, but is interrupted by the door opening, and Coulson’s figure slipping inside.

“You’re late, Agent,” Fury scolds.

“Sorry, sir. I had to take five showers because I woke up completely covered in lard,” Coulson responds, briefly glancing at Clint.

The archer slouches further in his seat and places his fist over his mouth to hide a grin. Tony shakes his head with disbelief. That explains why Barton needed all that lard and why he was at Shield earlier in the afternoon. If the genius had known, he would have bought out Costco’s entire supply.

Fury gives Coulson a look of disbelief before shaking his head. “Regardless, now that you’re here, we can officially begin.”

Coulson nods and takes the seat next to Hill, sharing a quick glance of acknowledgement with the other agent.

Fury clears his throat. “Now, our chief psychologist has been working closely with Loki for the past several hours, and his memory has been returning albeit slowly for a God, according to Thor,” he pauses. “Fortunately, we have uncovered the identity of the person controlling Loki though we have not uncovered their motives.”

“Well,” Clint proclaims impatiently. “Who is it?”

The Director opens his mouth to answer, but is cut off by a thunderous explosion that shakes the entire Helicarrier. “What the—!” he exclaims before another explosion blows out the wall of the conference room, sending the occupants flying to opposite sides.

Tony hits the back wall next to the door and groans, muscles tense and alert. He blinks rapidly trying to remain conscious. He can see a blurry blond heap moving in the corner of his vision and hears a figure slump next to him.

“You alright?” Steve inquires.

“Yeah, of course, I mean who doesn’t like getting thrown against walls at eight p.m.?”

Steve snorts and moves to stand before his entire body freezes. A figure steps onto the carrier via the gaping hole in the wall, surrounded by smoke and flames. Tony glances between the foreign person and Steve, the latter’s eyes alight with recognition and his mouth falling open. “Cap, you know him?”

“It’s Red Skull,” he breathes, not taking his eyes off the man. Tony’s eyes widen.

Skull scans the room before settling his gaze on Steve. He sneers. “Hello Captain.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters that I have written so far! I am super proud of this one!
> 
> Warning: blood, gore, mentions of a panic attack and PTSD
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

A loud boom resonates throughout the Helicarrier pulling Tony from his shocked state. He registers Clint’s groaning, Fury’s swearing, the shouting of reinforcements (whether they’re Shield agents or the Skull’s minions is unknown to Tony) heading their way, and the sound of Steve’s labored breathing beside him. Tony wonders briefly what the Captain must be thinking at seeing his enemy from seventy years ago not only alive, but causing a shit ton of damage. The billionaire chances a glance at Steve and sees nothing but pure rage twisted on the man’s face, which is something that Tony never hopes to be on the wrong end of.

The genius turns back to the Skull and notes that the man is glancing around the room with a triumphant smirk on his face. The villain’s gaze is drawn to the door as an array of Shield agents enters the room, fully armed with assault rifles and ray guns. Red Skull’s smirk widens and he pulls a large weapon off his back that looks eerily similar to the ones Cap found on the Helicarrier last year. He pulls the trigger and opens fire on the agents, watching with gleaming eyes as their bodies disintegrate before him. One of the body’s lands near Tony, splattering blood on the engineer’s clothing. The brunet can smell the strong odor of burning flesh coming from the corpse and it makes him want to vomit. The chaos is starting to remind him of Afghanistan and—nope, Tony’s not going to think about that right now.

Skull cocks the gun once before strutting with purpose towards the door, not bothering to spare a glance at the Avengers scattered around the room.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony sees Steve stand and moves to do the same, but another shockwave causes him to lose his balance. He would have face planted if not for the blond quickly catching him by the elbows and pulling the brunet to his chest. Tony would have enjoyed this immensely if not for the fact that the entire Helicarrier is deteriorating around them. He can clearly hear the sounds of panic, gunfire, and triumphant warfare coming from the hallway. Skull’s minions must be joining in on the carnage. The genius steadies himself on his feet and Steve’s arms unwind from around his form.

“Are you alright?” Cap asks voice tight and quiet.

Tony quickly nods his head. “Yeah, Cap, never been better,” he says trying to sound indifferent but instead sounding frightened. Tony would have been embarrassed for slipping and showing his fear, but he’s starting to think about things that are better off suppressed and it’s _Red Skull_ their facing now. Cap had a difficult time defeating him in the past and who _knows_ how powerful he is now.

Steve gives Tony a tight nod. He picks his shield off the ground and places it on his right arm. He moves away from the brunet and goes to check on the rest of the team. Tony decides to follow his example, quickly helping Coulson and Hill to their feet, and accepting their murmurs of thanks. The three quickly move to help Fury stand upright.

“Cap, I’m coming with you,” Tony suddenly announces. The brunet sees the soldier hesitate before ultimately nodding. He moves to go join up with the man when Fury’s voice stops him.

“What do think you’re doing, Stark? From what I understand, you don’t have a suit!” Fury exclaims voice nearly drowned out by the next wave of explosions.

“Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with here? I have spares and one of them is on its way!” Tony retorts, vaguely hearing Cap giving the rest of the Avengers orders in the background. Ever since the whole event with the Mandarin in California less than six months ago, Tony has made sure that every suit of armor he’s crafted since will come when he calls.

“You’re asking for a death wish, Stark.”

The brunet feels a hand clasp his shoulder. Steve. “There’s more to me than my armor, Fury,” he states. “You’d know that if you used me for more than my tech.” He gives the patched man once last glance before turning away and following the Captain out of the conference room, pausing only to grab a Glock 26 and some stray ammo that is lying on the floor.

**

Tony and Steve quickly make their way through Headquarters, running past agents in various states of shock, pain, and terror. The two also run past a number of lifeless bodies (some are Shield agents and the others are people Tony has never seen before so he’s assuming they’re with Skull—or were). The smell of death looms in the air and the genius gulps. He feels nauseous listening to the sounds of more explosions, screaming, and distant roaring.

Bruce must have transformed. Good. Tony knows that they need all the help they can get. Not long ago, someone came over the PA system and hurriedly announced that dozens of people had invaded the Helicarrier before being abruptly cut off (Tony doesn’t think he’ll be able to get the sound of wet, choked gurgles out of his head for a while). Thankfully, the pair haven’t run into many of Red Skull’s leather jumpsuit wearing allies, but whenever they do, Steve quickly takes care of them.

He pointedly looks away from the floor and decides to focus his gaze on the broad shouldered man in front of him. The Captain’s posture is tense and alert, his stride long and purposeful and Tony almost has to break into a run to catch up. The genius can’t see Steve’s face, but he can image that the man’s mouth is pulled into a tight line, his eyes alight with rage and nostrils flaring. Tony wonders if Steve was like this during the war. He recalls Cap once saying that he doesn’t like bullies no matter where they’re from. The engineer briefly wonders if Steve’s ever killed a man before—innocent or not. When he was younger, he used to believe that Captain America would never kill another because it’s _Cap_ and he wouldn’t do something like that . . . but seeing him in the flesh, watching him ruthlessly take down the Skull’s minions one after the other (he hasn’t said a word since they left the conference room) Tony isn’t sure anymore.

The genius continues glancing around, his eyes blown wide. “So, Cap, you never told me what the plan is.” He’s hoping that a conversation will take his mind off the destruction around him.

Cap is silent for a beat before answering. “Widow and Hawkeye are on evacuation, getting as many of the seriously wounded out of the area as soon as possible. Hulk is going to find the source of the explosions while Thor goes after Loki. I know we all have our issues with him, but in a case like this, we can’t afford to have two enemies.”

“Coulson?”

“Agents Coulson and Hill are heading for the engine room, which according to them, has taken a significant amount of damage.”

A powerful explosion rings out, knocking Tony off balance and jerking him towards a wall on his right. The engineer uses the wall to steady himself, feeling the Helicarrier jerk and slope downwards at a slight angle. Tony’s eyes widen when he realizes they’re falling out of the sky.

The genius looks up and sees that Steve hasn’t paused in his stride and his halfway down the hallway. Tony has to run to catch him. He takes a few deep breaths and says, “And what are we doing?”

“We’re going after Skull.”

Tony knew this was coming. It doesn’t take a genius to know that Steve is planning on taking on Skull alone, which is why Tony wanted to come with him in the first place so the blond doesn’t get himself killed. The brunet knows he’s not going to be much help without his suit, but there has to be something he can do—right? He gives Steve’s back a worried look and chews on his bottom lip. “Cap, promise me that you’ll be careful.”

Silence.

“Steve . . .” Tony tries again sounding small. He’s concerned for the Captain who will no doubt let the Red Skull get to him and cloud his judgment.

“I promise,” Steve responds.

Tony could hear the slight hesitation in his voice. He’s lying. “Don’t you lie to me, Rogers,” he says, feeling a spark of anger.

Steve pauses in his stride and whirls around to face Tony placing a firm, but gentle hand on the brunet’s shoulders, cerulean eyes looking directly into brown. “Tony, I swear to you, that I will be careful. And I always keep my word.” The blond leans forward and places a tight-lipped kiss on Tony’s forehead. “Come on,” he says moving away from the other and continuing down the hallway.

Tony huffs still feeling the press of Steve’s lips against his forehead, before sighing and following the Captain.

**

Eventually, Cap and Tony find the Skull located on the opposite side of the Helicarrier in a conference room that the Avengers have never used before. The room is spacious, surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows on three sides through which Tony can see nothing but open sky shadowed by the thick, black smoke coming from the base. The area only has a few pieces of furniture—a small side table with a blue lamp sitting on top of it is set against one of the windows on the left, a medium sized red metal container that stands to Tony’s torso is resting a few feet away from them on the right. The villain himself is sitting in a leather chair placed behind a large black desk made of cheap looking material located in the center of the room.

Red Skull looks up when they enter the room and smirks. He’s wearing a long-sleeved black leather coat with the HYDRA logo sewn in red thread on both shoulders. He has a black belt wrapped around his waist, with the aforementioned symbol branded on the silver buckle. The villain’s leather booted feet are propped on the desk with his ankles crossed. The enormous ray gun the Skull used earlier is leaning against the side of the desk. He spreads his arms in a welcome gesture, gloved fingers curling slightly. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Captain America,” The Skull greets, smirking menacingly from is lounged position.

“How’d you do it?” Steve quips.

The villain frowns. “Not even a hello? Why Captain, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other! I thought you’d be more excited to see me?” He gives Tony a faux offended look. “He’s forgotten his manners, hasn’t he?”

Tony gives the man a blank glare. The Skull’s smirk widens.

“We’re not here to play games, Skull,” Cap declares, anger seeping into his tone. He straightens his back, rising to his full height.

Red Skull scowls. “You really have forgotten your manners haven’t you?” The villain lowers his feet from the desk and rises from his seat. “Fine, I’ll humor you,” he says as he walks around the desk and stands before Cap and Tony. “After you _ruined_ my plans and I lost the Tesseract, I blacked out and awoke freezing and completely covered in snow. I struggled to survive, walking for hundreds of miles until I came across a village. They fed, housed, and nursed me back to health. I stayed for a grand total of two weeks before some crazy _Ruskie_ , and his test-tube experiment chased me out.”

Tony inwardly winces when he sees Steve tense further out of the corner of his eye. The genius remembers using similar words on the Captain when they first met ( _“You’re a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!”_ ). But, Steve is more than the bottle—he’s honest, charismatic, hilarious, a damn good artist, and able to put up with Tony for long periods without complaining (well, aloud anyway). He’s also sassy as hell and a total car junkie, which is one of the many things they initially bonded over. Steve is literally perfection and somehow he wants to be with the train wreck also known as Antony Edward Stark. The engineer glances at Cap, his jaw clutched so tight that Tony thinks it might break. The brunet looks back the villain and watches him warily, silently willing his armor to arrive faster.

Skull continues his tale with a menacing look. “I escaped, thanks to the cover of a blizzard, and found myself living in a cave and having to hunt and gather to survive. With all this free time, I sat, I struggled, and I planned. I began inventing with whatever materials I could find before I came across some. . . very intriguing technology.” He smirks. “I started gathering allies— the soldiers and the homeless, the stranded and forgotten, until I had eventually assembled an army. I’d finally had everything I needed. All I had to do is wait . . . and I’ve waited for so long. Why, the last time I looked at a calendar it said May 1970.”

Cap’s grip on his shield tightens and Tony visibly tenses. He remembers his mother telling him that some freaky shit went down in Russia right before he was born. He thinks it was most likely related to the Cold War and unfortunately, he doesn’t remember the details and it’s not like he can go and ask.

Skull glances between Cap and Tony with a smirk in place and an evil glint in his eye. “Say, wasn’t there another fellow you used to run around with?” The villain says casually resting a hand against his chin.

“Don’t,” Cap warns voice low and pained.

The Red Skull sneers. “How’s Bucky?”

Tony can see the exact moment when Cap snaps because one minute he’s standing in front of Skull, tense and angered and the next he’s flinging his shield and knocking the villain backwards. The genius quickly ducks behind the large metal container next to him, loading and cocking his gun. He holds the item close to his body and takes a deep breath.

Red Skull stumbles for his footing and laughs deep in his throat before reaching for his gun holster and pulling out a forty five-caliber revolver and firing. Cap catches his shield and raises it, blocking each one of the bullets.

Tony rapidly shakes his head, trying to get the image of Cap being _shotbleedingdying_ out of his thoughts. He starts shaking uncontrollably, breathing coming out in labored gasps, and heart pounding against his chest. He listens to the clicking sounds of Skull’s gun running out of ammo, Steve’s shield clanging against the walls, glass shattering, and the sounds of grunting and shouting. He hears a loud smashing sound and the genius is assuming that one of them used that stupid lamp from before as a weapon—he’s hoping it was Steve.

The engineer ducks further behind the metal container and curls in on himself, trying to calm his breathing. He can’t stop the feelings of being useless to the team. Even though Tony’s decent at hand-to-hand combat, his overall helpfulness in this situation is limited. This is _Red Skull_ after all. Maybe everyone’s right and he’s only as good as his tech. It’s like the Director said a few years back—it’s Iron Man they need, not Tony Stark.

Tony hears a loud shattering sound and pokes his head out from behind the container. Both men appear evenly matched, throwing jab after jab at each other and backing down. At some point, Skull must have retrieved and fired his ray gun because the item is now resting on the villain’s back once again. Steve blocks Red Skull’s punch with his shield before delivering a left hook to the Skull’s chest, hearing a sickening shattering sound. The Skull roars with rage and lunges at Cap, knocking the man’s shield away and backing him into a corner right beside the door.

“It’s over, Captain,” the villain sneers wrapping one gloved hand around Steve’s throat and lifting the man off the ground. Cap’s hands immediately fly to his throat, trying to pry the other man off and gasping for breath.

Tony’s eyes widen and he panics. Steve is going to die if he doesn’t do something quick! The engineer glances around before looking down and seeing the gun clasped in his hands. He doesn’t hesitate. Tony stands from behind his cover and fires several shots into the Skull’s back.

The villain tenses and pauses. He slowly turns his eyes alight with fury. The Skull keeps his grip on Steve’s throat and uses his free hand to pull the large ray gun off his back. He aims the weapon at Tony and tightens his grip when the Captain beings to struggle harder.

_“STARK!”_ a voice screams desperately.

Tony spares a quick glance to his left and sees Hawkeye pick up Cap’s shield and toss it to him. The billionaire drops the gun and catches the shield, right as Skull fires the ray gun. The blast ricochets off the shield and hits Skull square in the chest, freeing the soldier. The momentum from the blast causes the shield to fly from Tony’s grasp, throwing the brunet backwards and through the glass window behind him.

The genius can barely hear shouts of his name as he falls, the wind whistling loudly his ears. Tony can see the Helicarrier, slowly descending from the sky with fire and smoke billowing from every direction. The scene looks like something straight from a superhero movie, where an unknown force compromises and obliterates the hero’s main base. The only difference is that this is real life and everyone knows who’s causing this mass destruction. Tony snorts and closes his eyes. He would be thinking about movies right as he’s falling towards his death.

He jerks open his eyes when he feels something clasp his right arm. He looks and sees familiar metal covering the sleeve of his ruined shirt. Tony lets out a relieved, albeit hysterical laugh as the rest of the armor flies towards him and incases his body. When the last piece falls into place, the Iron Man armor comes on line and JARVIS says, _“Sorry for the delay, sir, but traffic was brutal.”_

Tony lets out another borderline hysterical laugh. “JARVIS, you son of a bitch,” he says fondly. He loops in a circle and hovers in the open sky, looking up at the Helicarrier through his faceplate. The genius grins and actives his jet boots, flying back to base.

When he arrives, he looks through the broken window seeing Steve and the rest of the team locked into battle with the Skull and his minions, and from what he can tell, the Avengers are losing. Tony doesn’t know when the rest of the team and Skull’s reinforcements arrived, but he’s assuming they came around the same time as Hawkeye.

Speaking of, he watches the archer reach back to his quiver only to discover that he’s run out of arrows. One of the minions notice and turn to attack, but Tony doesn’t give him the chance. He fires a repulsor beam, blasting the henchman through the opposite window.

“Dude!” Hawkeye exclaims.

The engineer shrugs even though the archer can’t see it. He lands next to the man and pokes him the shoulder. “I owed you one,” he says simply, noting the small smile crossing Clint’s features.

“Ahh, Anthony Stark,” The Skull says curiously, drawing Tony’s attention. “I should have known that was you. Tell me, why is Howard Stark’s _brat_ involved with Shield? Last time I heard, you wanted nothing to do with them.”

Tony doesn’t give into the bait and instead fires another repulsor beam that takes out several more of the Skull’s men. The villain grins evilly at the billionaire’s reaction.

The Avengers continue their battle, working together to attempt to take down the Skull and his allies. Tony sees the exact moment when Skull realizes he’s outmatched. It’s directly after Thor finishes off the last of the henchmen with a lightning strike while Cap and Widow unleash a combo attack consisting of a series of jabs and kicks that finally knock the red villain into a corner.

“It’s over, Skull,” Cap says confidently, raising his shield.

The Skull grits his teeth. His gaze slides briefly to the right and he smirks before turning his attention back to the Captain. “Not quite,” he says before lunging forward and knocking the blond off balance. He runs towards the window that Tony fell from earlier, dodging each one of the Avengers attacks before leaping out the window and landing on the loading ramp jutting out from the back of the Osprey hovering beside the Helicarrier.

Red Skull bows slightly and tips an invisible hat. “Until next time, Captain,” he says before the loading ramp closes and the Osprey flies away.

Tony moves to pursue, but is stopped by a gloved hand on his chest plate. He turns and faces Cap, who shakes his head silently.

**

Tony finds himself lounging on a bed in medical, hours later. The brunet is barely injured (hell, _the suit_ doesn’t even have much damage), he just has a few cuts on his arms and back from breaking the glass when he fell from the window. The Doctor informs Tony that he suffered from a minor panic attack and could be experiencing syptoms of shock. The genius silently agrees with the doctor; he wouldn’t be surprised if the gravity of the situation, along with an assault of flashbacks, hit him later tonight. When the doctor finishes up, he gives the engineer a pat on the shoulder with strict orders to rest for the next few days. Without another word, the man leaves the room closing the door behind him and leaving Tony to his thoughts, which immediately stray to the battle . . .

Not long after Skull flew away, Coulson finally arrives with Loki and Hill in tow. He declares that with the God’s help, the two agents were able to stabilize and fix the engines before the Helicarrier lost significant altitude. After the first few rounds of explosions, Loki figured he would be of more use with the engines, informing Thor of his plan, and then forcing the man escort him to the engine room. The entire team was surprised minus Thor, who looked extremely proud of his brother and proceeded to tell the man as much. Loki scoffed and called him an oaf, but Tony didn’t miss the fond look in the God’s eyes.

Hill then ordered everyone to go to medical while Shield worked on cleanup and gathering information on why this attack occurred. When Steve tried to press, Hill said that she would keep him posted of any new information or sightings of the Skull.

Tony disassembled his suit into a suitcase and followed the team to the medical wing. Clint groaned the whole away about how he hates doctors (“Except for you, _Doctor_ Banner, because you’re cool and you don’t poke me with needles,” the archer expressed fondly, gushing over the doctor, who was Bruce sized). Before Tony had the chance to see a doctor, Steve pulled him aside and said in a hushed manner that he wanted to talk with him later. The solider left not to long after speaking those words and Tony assumes that he was going to be evaluated by a doctor.

The engineer sighs. He can hear Clint singing “Ride Wit Me” enthusiastically even though the archer is three doors down. He pulls out his phone and looks at the device trying to decide if he should call Pepper or not. Tony hasn’t spoken to her since they argued in the lab and he’s not sure how angry she is. Steve said that he should call her and Tony sighs again, flipping open his phone and noticing that he has several missed calls from Pepper.

He dials her number and the phone rings twice before Pepper’s clipped “Hello?” flows through the speaker.

Tony smiles to himself. She obviously answered without checking the ID. “Hey Pep.”

The brunet hears something shatter in the background and the woman’s quiet gasp. “Tony, is that you?”

“The one and only.”

“Oh, goodness, are you alright? I was going to call you anyway, but JARVIS told me the Helicarrier was under attack! I’ve tried calling you, but there was no answer!”

The billionaire smiles fondly to himself. “I saw. Sorry, I, uh, was a little busy.”

“The main reason I called is because I wanted to apologize—”

“Pepper, don’t.”

“But, Tony, I—”

“Hey, no worries. It’s all water under the bridge now. Are we cool?”

The redhead is silent for a moment before saying fondly, “Yeah, we’re cool.”

“Neat, because I have something to tell you—it’s actually rather hilarious.”

“Oh my God, did you make someone cry again? I thought we’ve been over this!”

“What? No, I didn’t make anyone cry! I haven’t done that in—Pepper!”

“Sorry, calming down,” she responds taking a short breath. “What is it?”

“I, uh,” Tony begins with a nervous chuckle. “I kissed Steve.”

_“You what!”_

Pepper’s next words escape Tony because his room door opens and the Captain slips inside, shutting the door behind him. He’s still clad in his uniform, which is sporting some rips and tears, minus the cowl. The blond’s posture is tense, not as much as before but Tony can still see that his shoulders are tight. His mouth is drawn into a line and he looks pissed off. The genius thinks that he may have just come from a debriefing with Fury because that’s really the only time when Steve looks unhappy. Either that or Tony is about to get the lecture of his life. The soldier quietly crosses the room and sits in a chair next to the bed Tony is lounging on.

“Pep, I gotta go,” Tony says cutting the woman’s rant off.

“No, Tony we need to discuss—”

“We can discuss later, bye!”

“Anthony Edward Stark, don’t you dare—”

Tony hangs up the phone by flipping it shut, figuring it would be easier to deal with Pepper later—or tomorrow. Tomorrow works too. He sets his phone aside and turns his full attention to Steve, not missing the way the soldier’s eyes flick over his form as if he’s checking for injuries.

“Like what you see?” Tony begins trying to lighten the mood. He’s not very good with tense situations and discussions about feelings and shit.

The blond is silent for a moment before saying, “Tony, what the _fuck_ was that back there?”

Steve’s using his Cap tone. The billionaire anticipated this conversation ever since he was blasted out the window. “You mean the part where I saved your ass or the part where the Skull ran away like a wuss?”

“Tony—”

“Oh spare me, Spangles,” Tony says interrupting the Captain. “I’m obviously still kicking and, more importantly, you are too. You can lecture me until you’re blue in the face, but I won’t take back what I did! I wasn’t going to sit around and watch while someone I lo—care for get killed _in front of me_ when I know I can do something!” Tony huffs and crosses his arms. At the guarded look on Steve’s face, the realization of what Tony admitted dawns on him. He looks away from the blond and starts muttering about how he wants to leave.

“Are you sure?” Steve asks moments later.

“About leaving the hospital? Hell yeah, I’m sure. I’m ready to get the fuck out of this place.”

“Not that,” Steve says. “I meant . . . about us.”

Tony gestures between the two of them. “You mean . . .” Steve nods.

“Steve, I think we’ve always been here—just teetering over the edge of friendship and romance,” Tony snorts. “It would take something like me being hung over and being in a hospital for us to get together.”

The blond soldier gives Tony a confused look.

“And I’m babbling—Look, I want to do this. I want to be with you,” the genius says taking one of Steve’s hands within his own.

“Are you sure,” the other asks again.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life,” Tony states.

Steve doesn’t say anything, which worries Tony until the other man smiles and leans forward, gently placing their mouths together. Tony sighs, content. He closes his eyes and leans into the kiss, feeling the soldier place his free hand at the base of Tony’s neck.

The pair part after what seems like ages. Tony searches Steve’s eyes finding nothing but adoration. The billionaire smiles, a small laugh escaping his throat. Steve matches Tony’s smile with one of his own.

The engineer leans forward and kisses Steve again just because he can. “I want to take you out,” he says against the soldier’s mouth.

Steve lightly kisses Tony’s lips. “Dinner?”

Tony nods before pressing his forehead against the blond’s. “Yeah, I know this great place by Central Park that you will love”

“I’m sure I’ll love any place you’d take me.” Steve pauses. “Say . . . seven tomorrow?”

“It’s a date,” Tony says kissing the blond once more. “Alright?”

Steve laughs lightly, curling his fingers against Tony’s neck. “Alright.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter that I have written for this story so far! :O
> 
> Song featured: "Confetti Falling" by Big Time Rush (one of my all time fave songs)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or the song featured

**Two months later . . .**

“Come on, Steve! Go faster!”

“I’m trying!”

“Come _on_! Faster, faster!”

“I said: I’m _trying_!”

“Well, you’re not _trying_ hard enough!”

“I’m doing the best that I fucking can!”

“D—Did Captain America just swear?”

“Oh my God.”

“YES!” Clint exclaims whopping with joy. The team has been playing Mario Kart for the past two hours and Clint just won—again. The archer throws his controller on the ground and starts dancing.

“Ugh,” Tony scowls picking up a pillow and throwing it at the dancing Clint. “Why didn’t you beat him?”

“It was a little hard to concentrate with you shouting in my ear,” Steve retorts.

“Would you like me to do something _else_ to your ear?” The brunet asks, a smirk crawling over his face. Steve glares.

Bruce rolls his eyes. “Is this going to be a regular occurrence?”

“Buzz off, Brucey, I know you’re jealous,” Tony answers not taking his eyes of Steve’s.

“Hardly,” the scientist deadpans.

After Tony was released from the hospital, he and Steve decided to give a relationship a go. They went to a pizza place the following night in Brooklyn that Steve used to frequent as a kid. The blond paid for the meal, much to Tony’s amusement. Then, they went to a movie, which Steve also paid for. Tony can’t recall what the movie was about because he spent the duration of the film with his tongue down Steve’s throat. They were originally going to keep their relationship a secret before telling the team because they wanted to make sure they would work out and it wouldn’t be awkward, but Clint walked in on them having sex in Tony’s lab and proceeded to run throughout the tower screaming, “Steve and Tony are fucking! I so called it!”

Speaking of sex, sex with Steve is mind-blowing. The blond is a kinky bastard and Tony found out very quickly that the man loves being tied up and ordered around. Steve also has an extremely talented tongue, and he could write sonnets on how many times he came just from Steve’s mouth alone.

Tony’s pulled out of his thoughts when Clint loudly declares he’s going to make more popcorn before grabbing his bowl and stomping towards the kitchen. The brunet notices that Steve has his back to him and is quietly having a conversation with Natasha. Tony pulls out his phone and leans against Steve’s back, pressing his cheek against his right shoulder. He can feel the vibrations of Steve’s voice through his body and soft lips pressing against his hair. Tony thinks he could fall asleep like this.

“Alright bitches and Natasha,” Clint says as he enters the common room with his bowl filled to the brim with popcorn. “Who’s ready for round twenty four?”

“I still do not understand your mortal forms of entertainment, but I will accept thy challenge,” Thor responds.

_“Sir, Miss Potts is on the line,”_ JARVIS announces before Clint could start the game again.

“Tell her I’m busy,” Tony says.

_“She says the matter she is phoning for is urgent.”_

Tony groans. “Put her on speaker.”

“You’re actually up? It’s only noon?” Pepper begins her voice flowing through the room.

“Couldn’t sleep. What’s up?” Tony responds.

“I’ve been trying to contact you for three days, that’s what’s up. Where have you been?” Pepper asks.

“I was here, but I wouldn’t have been able to talk anyway—my mouth was a little busy,” Tony responds with a smirk. Steve groans and buries his face in his hands.

Clint whistles. “Dude, don’t even, I bet you have awesome stamina.”

_“Clint!”_

“Oh he does,” Tony answers, ignoring Steve’s outburst and patting him on the arm. “My boy can go for _hours_.”

“Is that so . . .”Clint wonders. He smirks slyly and looks between Tony and Steve. “What else can the serum do?”

“Well—”

Pepper clears her throat. “Tony, would you please focus?”

“Yeah, sure, okay, continue.”

The redhead huffs. “Thank you. I’m calling to remind you that the Maria Stark Foundation Anniversary Ball is tomorrow night and—”

“I can’t, that’s date night,” Tony says interrupting Pepper.

“Wait you guys actually do that?”

“Fuck off Clint. You’re just jealous because I’m getting laid.”

_“Tony.”_

“Steve, you know it’s true!”

“Tony!” Pepper exclaims. “This is a very important event and you’re going to be there whether you like it or not!”

Clint snorts. “Sucks to be you.”

“Oh, Clint, didn’t I mention that you’re going too? In fact, the entire team is attending. It’s good press and I already have Coulson’s approval.”

“Traitor!” Clint exclaims.

“The ball is going to be at the Ritz-Carlton by Central Park. The event starts at seven and Happy will pick you up at six thirty. Make sure you’re ready.” Pepper hangs up without another word.

“Well, fuck,” Clint says.

_“Sir, should I inform your regular tailor that you’ll be stopping by?”_

“Nah . . . there are plenty of shopping districts and places to buy formal clothing in Manhattan. You guys want to go now?”

“Sure, may as well get this over with,” Bruce says, standing from his reclined position on the couch and stretching.

“Hey, let’s stop by _Kristyn’s_ first. I’m hungry and I really want some chocolate fudge cake,” Tony says. He rises to his feet and slips on the rug stumbling for balance.

Steve quickly stands and catches Tony’s flailing arms, steadying the man, who gives him a grateful smile. “Sure, we’ll stop. It’ll be nice to see Maxie again.”

“Great,” Tony answers. “Let’s go!”

**

The team abandons their game and takes the elevator to the garage. Even though Kristyn’s is a short walk from the tower, they decide to take the minivan for two reasons: one, so they won’t have to double back for the car since the restaurant is on the way; and two, so they won’t be harassed by fans and photographers. Tony isn’t sure about the others, but he would like to enjoy this rare day off from both work and Avengers duties.

They eventually reach the garage and climb into Steve’s minivan in the same seating arrangement as every one of their outings: Steve and Tony upfront, Thor and Bruce behind them, and Clint and Natasha in the very back. The soldier pulls out of the garage while Clint sings along to Taylor Swift. Natasha tells Steve to change the radio station, and Thor curiously asks Bruce “What is so special about turning twenty two?” Tony changes the station and Clint tells him he sucks. The brunet responds that he sucks every night.

Steve almost crashes. Natasha yells at Tony.

The team arrives at the restaurant a few minutes later with no further incidents. After Steve expertly parallel parks the car, the team piles out while Tony fills up the meter before they head inside the restaurant. Maxie greets the team at the door and ushers them to their usual table.

_Kristyn’s_ became the Avengers hangout after Tony and Steve returned from a date one night, and Clint demanded to know where they got the delicious looking pie. They should have never given the archer a bite because he proceeded to steal the pie from Tony’s grasp and run around the Tower, giving each of their teammates a taste. Ever since, the entire team was hooked.

Maxie quickly takes their orders, and leaves to fill them. The Avengers make casual conversation amongst themselves. Steve and Tony half listen to the chatter around them, focusing on each other and stealing kisses, which cause Clint to pretend to vomit and for the engineer to flick him off.

The waitress soon returns with their orders and the team invites her to sit with them like they have every time. Maxie accepts and settles in next to Bruce. She and Steve take turns telling everyone about life back in the thirties and forties, exchanging inside jokes and tales about Steve no one has ever heard before aside from her and Bucky.

Eventually, they finish their meals and decide to head out. Tony pays and everyone says farewell to Maxie, with each Avenger promising to visit the woman soon. The team exits the restaurant and pile into the minivan. Steve starts the car and waits for everyone to settle before putting the car in gear and pulling into traffic.

**

Twenty minutes later, Steve manages to find a parking spot along the busy street known as Fifth Avenue. The soldier stops the car and everyone gives Tony various looks of shock and annoyance. The engineer gives his teammates a confused look. “What?”

“Why did you bring us here? You know the only person who can afford this shit is yourself,” Clint says sounding irritated and hurt.

Tony rolls his eyes and reaches into his pocket, pulling out five gold credit cards. He shows the items to his team and watches their expressions change into one of confusion.

“What the hell are those?” Natasha asks as she leans forward in her seat to get a better look.

“These, my Russian beauty, are Stark Cards,” the genius responds, ignoring the redhead’s eye roll and passing out the cards. “They have a direct link to the private bank accounts I set aside for each of you. I would have given these to you sooner, but I had to fight with Hill to have your Shield checks transferred directly into these accounts instead of the Shield ones which are so easy to hack.” He takes a breath before continuing. “The only other person who has access aside from you is Pepper and that’s because Pepper runs everything and she’s the one who helped me set this up.” Tony smiles to himself, feeling accomplished. “Plus, this way you won’t have to ask and/or worry about money—at least, for a while.”

The rest of the Avengers remain silent and Tony twitches nervously wondering if he messed up again. He’s about to recant his whole speech and take the cards back when Steve breaks the silence and says, “Wow, Tony this is . . .”

“Incredible? Generous? Extremely thoughtful?” Tony tries.

“Wow . . .”

Tony shrugs. “I’ll accept wow.”

“I love you,” Clint says suddenly. “I actually fucking love you. I’d kiss you on your face if I wasn’t worried that Steve would punch me.”

“I would never!” Steve protests.

The engineer pats his boyfriend on the arm. “Yeah, you would.”

“Steve, would you please kiss him in thanks on behalf of all us?” Clint asks hopefully.

The soldier rolls his eyes, but it doesn’t stop him from leaning forward and capturing Tony’s mouth. The brunet smiles against his lover’s lips and presses back for a few moments before pulling away, though he doesn’t go very far.

“Thank you, Tony,” Steve says voice filled with gratitude. “This is very generous of you.”

Tony shrugs. “It’s what I do.” He leans forward and gives the blond a quick peck before pulling away completely.

Clint claps his hands. “Alright, let’s do this!”

The team climb out of the van and spilt up. Natasha grabs Clint by the wrist and drags him into Tiffany and Co. Bruce takes Thor across the street to Gucci while Steve and Tony link hands and start exploring the various designer shops.

The blond decides before they get started not to buy anything. About a month ago, he got a call from Fury saying that he tracked down Steve’s old army uniform the 1940s and figured he would wear that. Tony ends up searching through several different shops before buying a black three-piece Armani suit.

The couple head out of the store and meet up with the rest of the Avengers, who are carrying various shopping bags and sporting grins on their faces. Tony shakes his head and declares it’s time to leave. Clint whoops with joy and challenges everyone to another round of Mario Kart back at the tower. Everyone eagerly accepts.

**

The next morning, both Tony and Steve are awoken by the latter’s alarm. The blond moves to stand and Tony whines low in his throat, rolling over and latching onto Steve’s arm, trying to prevent him from leaving their warm cocoon of blankets. He coaxes his boyfriend back into bed with lazy kisses. They ultimately decide to spend the day in bed fooling around and having sex, then a shower, shower sex, then food, a nap, and then more sex until JARVIS announces that if they want to be on time to the Maria Stark Foundation Ball, they should start getting ready. This leads to another round in the shower and Tony clinging to Steve’s soapy skin and coming with the blond’s name on his lips.

The engineer exits the bathroom first while Steve stays behind and finishes washing. He drops his towel on the bed before going over to his dresser and pulling out a pair of blue boxer shorts and sliding them on. Next, he walks over to the closet and opens the double doors, moving a few of Steve’s clothing items out of his way so he can reach the suit he bought yesterday. It didn’t surprise the engineer when Steve had moved into his room after about a week and a half of dating. In fact, he encouraged it. Most of the soldier’s things were on Tony’s floor anyway and even though they weren’t having sex, the blond slept here every night and Tony had gotten used to the feeling of falling asleep in Steve’s arms.

The billionaire pulls his suit out of the closet and leaves the doors open, walking over to the bed and laying the garment flat down. He pulls on the white long sleeved button up first, before grabbing the slacks and slipping them on, tucking in his shirt and fastening his pants.

Steve walks out of the bathroom with one towel wrapped around his waist and drying his hair with another. Tony smirks and grabs his own towel off the bed before whacking Steve’s ass. His boyfriend starts shaking his butt, causing Tony to laugh, before continuing his trek to the closet and pulling out his old uniform, which surprisingly still fits. Out of the corner of his eye, the brunet watches his boyfriend get dressed, loving the way the green fabric clings to Steve’s muscles and leaving little to the imagination. The soldier always looks so fucking hot in his uniform and Tony literally tells him every time he wears it. There’s only been a few instances, however. The Avengers don’t go to many formal events, especially after the last time where Clint got himself tangled in a chandelier and Bruce hulked out.

Tony finishes dressing first, slipping on his suit jacket and tie before pulling on his polished black shoes. He walks up behind Steve, who is straightening out his tie in front of the full-length mirror, and wraps his arms around the man’s trim waist. “Have I ever mentioned that I love a man in uniform?” he says while placing a light kiss to the back of Steve’s neck.

The soldier smirks. “You may have mentioned it once or twice.” He turns in Tony’s arms before placing a firm kiss on his lover’s lips, bringing his hands up to cup his neck. They stand like that for some time, mouths locked together. Steve breaks the kiss, and says, “Tony, we’re going to be late.”

“Don’t care,” the brunet responds before trying to bring their mouths together again, only for Steve to hold him back. He whines low in his throat.

“The others are probably already waiting.”

“Again: Don’t care. Want you.”

The soldier shakes his head and gives Tony a quick peck, which the brunet tries to turn into something more. Steve smiles against his boyfriend’s mouth before pulling away and kissing the billionaire on his forehead. He slides out from Tony’s arms and places his little green hat on top of his head. The blond holds out his right hand and Tony slides their fingers together, smiling up at the other man. The engineer grabs his phone and wallet on their way out of the bedroom.

The couple joins up with the rest of the Avengers in the common room. The guys are wearing crisp black suits. Thor, who’s wearing his hair in a ponytail, and Bruce are wearing black bowties, while Clint opted for a tie like Tony, except the archer’s is purple. Natasha is wearing a dark blue, strapless, floor length gown. Her red hair is tied in a messy bun at the back of her head. She accessorized with silver jewelry and a small black clutch. She gives small smile in greeting before leading the way to the elevator. She presses the button to go down. The elevator arrives, the team enters, and Steve, who is closest to the doors, presses the button for the garage.

When the elevator arrives to the lowest level, the Avengers pile out and head towards Happy, who is waiting patiently by his long black stretch limo. Happy opens the door and Natasha slides in first, followed by Thor, Clint, Bruce, Steve, and finally Tony. The chauffeur closes the limo door and Tony leans against Steve smiling when he feels the blond kiss the top of his head. Happy starts the limo and drives off. The entire ride, the Avengers sing along to the radio.

**

Eventually, the team arrives at the Ritz-Carlton hotel without an incident. Happy opens the door and Tony steps out, first, shuffling out of the way so the rest of the team can exit the car. The brunet squints his eyes at the flashes from the photographer’s cameras. He pastes a semi-forced smile on his face and waves to the crowd, watching them eat up his stage presence like animals.

The Avengers quickly make their way to the front doors of the hotel, posing for a few photos and denying any requests for interviews. Before they get the chance to enter the hotel, Thor spots Jane and Darcy making conversation amongst themselves. The blond God wanders over to the women and gives both of them a giant bear hug while booming an enthusiastic greeting.

Jane laughs, a light happy sound, and Darcy smiles, patting Thor on the arm. The Asgardian takes Jane’s hand and leads the two women to where the rest of the group is standing. Jane is wearing a sleeveless floor length dark green dress, a silver belt with a large buckle clasped at her waist. Her brown hair is tied into a low, messy ponytail. Darcy is wearing a knee length sleeveless dark amethyst dress. She’s wearing her long hair down, and her black pumps making her stand a few inches taller than normal. She pushes her glasses further up her nose.

“Yo, who’s ready to get smashed?” Darcy greets with a smile.

Clint smirks. “You were always my favorite, Lewis.” He holds out his arm to her. “Shall we?”

Darcy grins lecherously and loops her arm in his. “We shall,” she says before the pair enters the hotel lobby.

Bruce glances around. “Where’s Selvig?”

“Oh, Eric couldn’t make it unfortunately. He’s making a presentation in London,” Jane informs.

Tony turns away from the conversation when he feels a hand link with his. He smiles before looking up and meeting his handsome boyfriend’s eyes.

“You ready to do this?” Steve asks.

“If by that you mean ‘ready for this to be over with’ then yes, I’m ready,” Tony responds as they enter the hotel with the remaining Avengers and Jane surrounding them.

The group makes their way towards the ballroom. Tony glances around at the beautifully designed lobby, dressed in the finest of imported furniture and other items, with bored interest. All luxury hotels look the same to him.

He enters the ballroom with Steve by his side and glances around taking in the atmosphere and noticing some people already standing around mingling with false smiles and forced laughter. Tony squeezes Steve’s hand, already wanting to go home. He feels the soldier squeeze back and the action comforts him a little. At least he won’t be the only one miserable.

“Tony! Is that you?” a male voice exclaims.

The brunet looks around for the source of the voice before finding the person in question. A huge grin crosses his features. “Honey-bunches!” He yells, dragging Steve by their joined hands over to the pillar that his longtime friend, James Rhodes, is leaning against. The Lieutenant Colonel is clad in his military uniform, his dark navy blue blazer and matching pants pressed to perfection. He’s wearing a white button up shirt and a black tie underneath his blazer. He has a small navy blue hat on top of his head and his black dress shoes and various metals are polished and shining in the light.

When Tony reaches his friend, he gives the man a one armed hug, which is returned enthusiastically. After a few moments, Rhodey pulls away first and says, “Why don’t you ever call me?”

“Because you’re always in an area without service and you locked me out from hacking into the military’s phone lines,” Tony answers.

“Well, someone had to,” Rhodey responds.

“And I will bypass them soon enough,” the brunet declares while Rhodey laughs. “Hey Rhodes, I want to introduce you to someone,” he says before tugging on Steve’s hand to get his attention. “Steve, Rhodey. Rhodey, Steve.”

Steve gives Rhodey a warm smile and holds out his left hand. “Steve Rogers.”

The black male’s eyes widen. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before clasping Steve’s hand within his and shaking hands once. “Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes. You can call me Rhodey—can I just say that it is an honor to meet you, Captain?”

The blond smiles and releases Rhodey’s hand. “I can say the very same about you. It’s nice to put a face to a name. Tony’s told me so much about you.”

Rhodey lets out a nervous laugh and places his both hands in his pockets. “Yeah, well, good things I hope.”

“Trust me, it’s nothing but the best.”

Rhodey gives Steve a wide smile. Tony snorts and punches Rhodey gently on the shoulder. “You are seriously fangirling right now.”

“Shut up, man,” Rhodey responds with a smile as he lightly punches his friend back on the shoulder before noticing Tony and Steve’s clasped hands. He frowns. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you were dating Captain America?”

“Because I knew you would have that reaction.”

Rhodey raises an eyebrow. “And what reaction is that?”

“The one where you act irritable and pissy because I’m sleeping with your childhood hero and didn’t tell you.”

“You are!”

“Point!”

“We’re going to talk about this,” Rhodey says with a determined expression.

“Nope,” Tony answers. He moves to walk away, but Steve won’t budge. The brunet tries to tug the blond by their hands, but to no avail.

“Captain, can I borrow him?”

“Go ahead.”

“What!” Tony exclaims as Rhodey grabs him by the arm with a wicked smile on his face. “Steve, you traitor!”

Steve, amused, releases Tony’s hand and waves to the brunet as Rhodey drags him away.

**

Tony and Rhodey find a secluded table away from all the action so they can catch up on everything since the last time they saw each other, which was a few months after California. Rhodey’s been busy running various top-secret missions for the government, that he refuses to go into detail about (no matter how much Tony pries) and how he was finally able to get some time off. Tony tells his friend about how he was mainly busy with his company and now the Avengers and Shield. The brunet was forced to spill about how he and Steve got together and when he finished, Rhodey laughed obnoxiously loud and called them both idiots. He only stopped when Tony randomly declared that his boyfriend can swallow dick like a champ. His friend let out a horrified exclamation of “I didn’t need to know that shit, damn!”

Over the course of the hour, the rest of Avengers, Jane, and Darcy migrated to Tony and Rhodey’s table and ended up dragging the soldier into a conversation about Glee, which turns out to be the dark skinned man’s favorite show. Tony’s never going to let him live it down. Though, the engineer does watch the show on occasion . . . when it’s on, of course.

At one point, the DJ starts playing music. Darcy lets out a whoop of joy, grabbing Natasha and leading her to the dance floor. Thor and Jane follow their example not long after. Bruce and Steve hit the bar, though the soldier actually returns to the table with drinks for himself and Tony. Clint leans back in his seat and almost falls over, causing Rhodey to laugh uncontrollably and for the archer to bristle like a porcupine.

Tony takes a sip of his drink and leans against Steve. “Are you having a good time?”

The blond nods his head. “Surprisingly, yes. What about you?”

The brunet nuzzles his boyfriend’s cheek. “Same, though things are usually more fun with you around.”

Steve smiles while Clint and Rhodey make gagging noises in the background. Tony flicks them both off.

A different song plays over the speakers and Tony’s ears perk up. He’s heard this one a number of times when Clint was watching Nickelodeon and he surprisingly likes it. The genius stands and tugs on Steve’s arm. “Babe, come dance with me.”

Steve rolls his eyes fondly at the nickname and sets his drink down before standing and following Tony to the dance floor. When the brunet finds a spot he likes, he turns to face Steve, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck and pulling him close. He smiles when he feels the blond curl his arms around Tony’s waist and places their foreheads together.

_“All this talk about being in love . . . I could never get into the party, never really understood what it was—Like what's the big deal anyway?_

_“Oh, but I decided I should give it a try—the very moment that you gave me the invite. I've never seen anything like it before once you open the door. See I was like..._

_“Oh yeah, yeah, don't get any better_   
_Oh yeah yeah wish that this was forever_   
_Your heart calling, feels like confetti falling_   
_And it's a celebration, feels like a celebration_   
_Cause your heart calling, feels like confetti falling down, down, down.”_

Steve smiles at the lyrics and nuzzles Tony’s nose with his. The brunet lets out a small laugh and pulls Steve even closer. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Jane and Thor not far away, swaying together with warm smiles on their faces.

_“And everybody's gonna make an appearance. Even the butterflies came, what a feeling._   
_And then bliss came with Mr. First-Kiss, it was better than they ever explained it_

_“I think I even saw Cupid flying 'round. I caught a glimpse before the lights went down._   
_And when I turn to see the stars in your eyes, I realize . . . And I was like . . ._

_“Oh yeah, yeah, don't get any better_   
_Oh yeah yeah wish that this was forever_   
_Your heart calling, feels like confetti falling_   
_And it's a celebration, feels like a celebration_   
_Cause your heart calling, feels like confetti falling down, down, down."_

“I love you,” Steve whispers against Tony’s lips.

Tony smiles, remembering the first time they said those words. It was a month after the brunet was released from the hospital. The Avengers just finished dealing with a few wannabe villains, and were in the middle of a Shield meeting. He and Steve had gotten into a huge argument about their reckless behaviors. The situation ended when Steve blurted that he didn’t want anything to happen to Tony because he loves him and wouldn’t know what to do without him. Tony had proceeded to cross the room and kiss the breath out of Steve in front of everyone before returning the words. Bringing himself back to the present, the brunet sighs content and looks into Steve’s shining blue eyes. “I love you, too.”

_“See I know it's getting late. Only wish the sun would wait and let this party last a little longer, yeah. See I know love it comes and goes, but this right here, I don't think that I ever wanna let it go . . . I wish I would've known..._

_“All this talk about being in love_   
_I could never get into the party_   
_Now, I understand only because_   
_You show me the way_   
_And I was like...”_

The rest of the song fades to the background as Steve closes the gap between them and gives Tony a gentle kiss. They stop dancing and focus on the warmth between them, lips loving slowly against each other. Tony breaks the kiss first and gives Steve a blinding smile at seeing nothing but love and adoration reflecting in the soldier’s eyes.

The song ends and a faster one beings playing over the speakers. Steve and Tony slowly unwrap themselves from each other, lace their fingers together and head back to their seats. When they reach their table, Clint is the only one seated, leaning back in his chair and sipping wine from his glass. The archer meets Tony’s eyes, smirks, and mouths out the words, ‘You get that D.’ The billionaire rolls his eyes fondly and takes a seat beside Steve. He looks around. “Where’d Rhodey go?”

Clint shrugs. “He said something about a bathroom and a swan?”

The genius snorts. Whenever he and Rhodey would go to a fancy restaurant or event, the Lieutenant Colonel makes it his mission to get one of those weird foil soap swans from the bathroom. He has a collection of about forty-five and says he won’t stop until he reaches a hundred.

Steve strikes up a conversation with Clint and Tony decides to ignore then both and fiddle with his phone. Sometime later (twenty minutes according to Steve), Rhodey returns with two of those stupid foil swans in each hand. He plops down next to Tony and sets the swans on the table looking extremely proud of himself. The engineer looks between the swans and his friend. “Please tell me you didn’t go into the women’s bathroom to get one of those.”

“I don’t tell you how to live your life. And for the record, there was nobody inside. I was in and out like a ninja.”

“A ninja?”

“Correct.”

Tony laughs and shakes his head fondly before turning back to his phone.

**

The ball ends three hours later at eleven and everyone slowly gathers their things to leave. After finally being able to pull Darcy’s drunk ass off the dance floor, they pause in the lobby to say their goodbyes.

Rhodey stands in front of Steve and Tony, looking serious. He holds his hand out to the blond, who takes his hand and shakes it once. “You take of him, you hear me?”

“What are you doing?” Tony asks annoyed.

“I’m doing the friend thing.”

“The what?”

“If you hurt him—”

“Jesus . . .”

Rhodey rolls his eyes at Tony and turns back to Steve, glaring at the blond. “If you hurt him, I will punch you repeatedly and I don’t give a damn if it breaks my hand.”

“Honestly? I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Steve responds before smiling. “Even though Tony is capable of caring for himself, I swear on my life that no harm will come to him.”

Rhodey seems pleased by the answer because his grin returns in full force. He releases Steve’s hand and turns to give Tony a hug, but the brunet is too busy giving the blond a shocked look.

“You perfect asshole, I hate you,” the engineer says astounded.

Steve chuckles and kisses the top of Tony’s head. “No, you don’t.”

“Alright, before you two start fucking in the lobby, can I get my goodbye hug?” Rhodey says.

Tony rolls his eyes and embraces his friend.

“I’m gonna be in the states for a couple weeks so call me, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. And you know you can stop by at any time, right?”

“Pssh. I was planning on it.”

The two separate and sport matching grins. Rhodey pats Tony on the shoulder and nods once to Steve before leaving the hotel. The genius glances around and notices the rest of the team is gone. They must already be in the limo, the impatient bastards. The genius sighs and follows Steve through the lobby.

Tony steps out of the hotel and immediately freezes, glancing around nervously. His hair is standing on edge and he’s breaking out into a nervous sweat, his stomach clenching with unease. He feels a gentle hand lightly touch his back.

“Tony?” Steve asks quietly trying not to startle the other man further. His voice is filled with worry.

The engineer takes a shaky breath. “Do you ever feel like you’re being watched?”

Steve rubs his hand in a comforting way on Tony’s back. “You think . . .?”

Tony shakes his head. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Let’s—Let’s just go.”

“Alright,” the blond answers, pulling Tony closer to his body. He leads him to the limo, where the rest of the Avengers are waiting.

**

_“Sir . . . sir?”_

Tony groans unhappily and opens his eyes before immediately closing them again. “JARVIS, what?” He yawns and opens his eyes again, blinking rapidly to keep them open. He feels steady puffs of breath against the back of his neck and soft snores, which show that Steve wasn’t awoken by JARVIS—that bastard. The engineer shifts slightly and feels the soldier’s arms tighten around his waist, which makes him smile sleepily. “Yeah, what’s up?”

_“Director Fury is on the line. He said he’s tried calling your phone several times with no answer.”_

That’s because the first thing Tony did when he came home was take his pants off and hop into bed with Steve. The genius smiles to himself and says, “Put him through.”

“Stark?” Fury’s begins annoyed, his voice the only sound in the silent room.

Tony rolls his eyes. Fury hasn’t contacted them personally (he gives the team orders through Coulson and Hill) since the Skull attacked two months ago and now all the sudden he wants to have a conversation at—Tony checks his clock—five in the morning. What is it with Shield agents and calling him so fucking early? “What the hell do you want?”

Silence. “I’m gonna let that comment slide since it’s early and I really don’t want to get into an argument right now.”

Tony puffs out his cheeks. “Then, spill it already.”

“Assemble your team and get to headquarters immediately. We figured it out.”

The brunet’s eyes widened. “You mean . . .”

“Hell yeah, I do,” Fury says, with a smirk. “We know what that bastard Skull is planning.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommended Music: I was listening to the Assassin's Creed 3 Soundtrack while editing this, if you wanted some awesome background music :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

“Shit,” Tony breathes out. The genius shifts into a sitting position. He can’t even bring himself to smile when Steve unconsciously presses his face against Tony’s hipbone and nuzzles his bare skin.

“‘Shit', is right, Stark. Now, like I said, assemble your team and get the hell to base,” Fury replies before hanging up.

_“Shall I inform the rest of the Avengers, sir?”_

“Please. Tell them to meet us in the common room in ten minutes.”

JARVIS doesn’t respond and Tony welcomes the silence, staring into the darkness. His mind is whirling with endless possibilities of what the Skull could be planning. While the engineer is thrilled that Shield finally knows what that bastard is planning after two months, he can’t help the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The worst part, in the genius’s perspective, is that he has to tell Steve. Tony’s worried that once his boyfriend finds out the Skull’s location, he’s going to be fixated on revenge and ignore anything else, including his own health. The brunet glances down at Steve, who is still fast asleep, oblivious to everything around him. Tony hates having to be the one to ruin his peaceful slumber. Then again, Tony does ruin all things wonderful. He gulps before planting his hand on Steve’s shoulder and shaking the man gently. “Hey. . . Hey, come on, wake up.”

Steve groans, opening his eyes and rolling onto his back. He yawns and blinks up at Tony lazily before noting the worried expression on the other man’s face. The blond forces himself awake, moving into a sitting position and placing a warm comforting hand on Tony’s back, concern hovering over his features. “Honey, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

Tony shakes his head. “No, I uh . . . haven’t had a nightmare since we . . . got together, yeah.” He takes a deep calming breath, and moves closer to Steve, who wraps both arms around Tony’s waist. “I just got off the phone with Fury . . . he wants us to go to base.”

The soldier rubs a hand across Tony’s side and the brunet barely suppresses a shiver. “Why? What’s going on?” he prompts gently.

Tony gulps, wishing he didn’t have to do this. “They figured it out—they know what that fucker Skull is planning.”

Steve’s expression goes from one of concern to one that is reserved. He’s starting to retreat into his shell—back to how he was when they first met on the Helicarrier and Tony hates it when the blond gets like this, but thankfully, it doesn’t happen often. He only sequesters himself when he’s thinking of the past—his family and friends, the war, Bucky . . .

“We should probably go,” the soldier says in a neutral tone. He uncurls his arms from around the billionaire and stands from the bed.

Tony leaps across the bed and wraps his arms around his lover’s torso, halting the man in his steps, though the brunet knows that Steve can easily break his grip.

“What are you doing?” Steve sighs, sounding exhausted.

“I’m trying to keep you from shutting me out.”

“Tony—” Steve begins, sounding desperate.

“No!” Tony shifts his position and rests his chin on Steve’s shoulder. “I won’t let you do this alone. We’re a team, okay? Where you go, I go.”

Steve bites his bottom lip before sighing again and Tony knows he won. “Alright . . . Let’s go ahead and get ready. After all, Fury is an impatient man.”

“That he is,” Tony agrees as Steve slides out of his arms. “Hey.”

The blond turns to him, a curious look on his face.

“I love you.”

Steve’s eyes light up with joy and he gives the brunet a small smile. “I love you too.” He takes Tony’s hand and gives it a gentle tug. “Come on.”

**

The couple rushes downstairs, meeting up with the rest of the team. The Avengers are in various states of dress: Thor is wearing his armor and a pair of black pants; Bruce is wearing the same clothes from yesterday and looking haphazard as if he just threw them on in a rush. Natasha is wearing her pajamas which consist of one of Thor’s maroon t-shirts (which she “borrowed”) and a pair of black shorts. Her hair is tied in a messy bun and she looks half-asleep.

“Where’s Clint,” Tony asks urgently as soon as he and Steve arrive in the common room. The engineer, like Natasha, is clad in his pajamas, which consist of Steve’s red t-shirt and a pair of boxers, while Steve, who’s shirtless, managed to throw on a pair of gray sweatpants before Tony rushed him out of their room.

“I told him to go ahead and ready the Quinjet,” Natasha informs, taking long strides and leading the men to the elevator. She jams the down button and the device arrives quickly. The group pile inside and head for Garage Level Two, which houses the Quinjet Hangar.

The elevator doors open and the group quickly exit, entering a large open room around the size of a private airport hangar. The underground area houses two Quinjets that Tony built when he was having insomnia after the battle of New York. Clint is standing in front of the jet closest to the elevator doors, clad in his uniform with his quiver and bow situated on his back. The team approach and board the jet, with the archer leading the way.

Everyone takes a seat and straps in as Clint prepares for flight. He presses a button over his head, which causes the wall in front of the jet to open up. Clint steers the plane through this opening, which eventually spits the team out near Ellis Island. The archer steadies the Quinjet once they reach the proper altitude and speeds towards headquarters.

While onboard, the team takes turns changing into their spare uniforms, which are housed in the overhead cabinets. The genius is one of the last to get dressed, sliding into his under suit and stuffing his clothes into a laundry bag. On his way back to his seat, he grabs a brief case with his spare armor, which is located in the same cabinet as his uniform.

“I have a visual on the Helicarrier. ETA is two minutes,” Clint announces in a pensive tone.

Tony slips back into his seat and buckles himself in, placing his briefcase between his feet and taking a deep breath. He turns to his right and meets Steve’s steady gaze. The brunet holds out his right hand and watches Steve lace their hands together without hesitation. Tony gives his lover a comforting squeeze and watches Steve’s front fall, showing his distress and overwhelming grief. While Clint begins to land the Quinjet on the Helicarrier’s runway, the soldier’s mask slips back into place.

**

As soon as Clint parks the jet, the team joins up with Coulson, who leads them through the bowels of Shield Headquarters and down an unknown hallway. The Agent throws open a wooden door, revealing a spacious room with no windows. The only furniture in the room is a large round table surrounded by nine gray office chairs. Coulson seats himself first, followed by Natasha to his right, Bruce, Tony, Steve, Thor, and three empty seats between the God and Coulson.

The conference room door opens and Agent Hill walks in, clad in her dark blue Shield uniform and her brunet haired pulled back into a tight bun. She slides into the seat on Couslon’s left, posture straight and hands clasped together on the surface of the table.

Moments later, the door opens again and Fury struts in with Loki trailing behind him. The patched man is wearing his signature black outfit consisting of a long leather trench coat, a zip up vest, slacks, boots, and his trusty gun strapped on his right thigh. Loki on the other hand is wearing casual attire consisting of a dark green sweatshirt, black pants, and black boots. He follows Fury to the head of the table, sitting in the open seat next to Thor and exchanging a small smile with his brother.

Fury stands tall behind the only empty chair, exuding authority and power. He clears his throat and everyone turns their gazes to the man. “Now, you all know why I’ve called you here correct?” The Avengers nod. “Good. That saves some explaining,” he turns to Loki. “Tell them what you told me.”

Loki clears his throat and glances around the table at each Avenger, gaze lingering on his brother. “My memory is still spotty, but here’s what I remember . . .” The pale man takes a breath. “I don’t know how, but it appears that this Red Skull has come in contact with ancient and powerful Asgardian magic and, if not stopped, he will destroy the nine realms. In addition, I recall him mentioning having a long list of enemies to eliminate. First and foremost is the “Star Spangled Man,” himself.”

“So, you’re saying that Red Skull wants to destroy all worlds and get revenge on Cap?” Tony inquires as his right hand unconsciously links with Steve’s left under the table.

“Correct,” Loki confirms.

“Wait,” Natasha begins. “How was Skull able to control you in the first place?”

“There’s a rare ice crystal that has the ability to control Joutens,” Loki explains. “I have no idea how Skull came across this item because it only exists on Joutenheim.”

“It could have happened after the tesseract launched Skull into space,” Bruce theorizes. “He could have easily been placed on Joutenheim and then found his way back to Earth. What do you think, Cap?

Steve, who’s clearly distracted with his thoughts, doesn’t respond. He’s silent for a few more moments before his eyes flash with recognition. “Uh, I think I might have destroyed that crystal. . .”

Loki gives a small quirk of his lips. “Good for you, Captain.”

“Wait. How are we supposed to trust you?” Clint asks suspiciously while throwing a glare in Loki’s direction.

The raven-haired man gives the archer a mischievous smirk. “Well, that’s the thing . . . you don’t.”

“Do you know how to stop him?” Tony asks before Clint can speak up again.

“Fortunately,” Loki answers. “In order to stop Skull, you have to complete four trials.”

“Trials?” Bruce asks curiously with both eyebrows raised.

Loki shrugs. “This is ancient magic and trials were popular then.” He reaches into his sweatshirt pocket and pulls out a worn piece of parchment. “I have found writings of the trials in this scroll I . . . _uncovered_ on my previous travels, but they will take time to translate. I was, however, able to complete the reading of the first trial.”

“What does it say?” Coulson asks, finally speaking up.

Loki opens the scroll and says, “To summarize: you are to rescue a troubled soul and return the being to the side they once were. There are a series of numbers following the text—”

“Let me see,” Natasha interrupts, holding out her hand. Loki wordlessly hands over the scroll and she quickly scans the contents before giving the item back. “They’re coordinates. I know where this is. Follow me,” she says while standing from her seat.

“Before you go,” Fury says. “I’m bringing in help.”

The conference room door opens and in walks Rhodey, clad in his military uniform, with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You lied to me,” Tony greets, pretending to be offended.

“Hey, it’s not lying if I didn’t tell you shit,” Rhodey answers, still smiling.

“I’ve asked Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes to aid you on this mission,” Fury announces. “I figured his skill sets would be valuable to the cause.”

“And I graciously accepted the offer,” Rhodey says, grin still plastered on his face. Tony rolls his eyes at his friend’s amusement.

“Alright, enough chatter,” Fury says, in a dismissive tone. “Now, hurry up and get this trial done.”

**

After being ushered out of the conference room, the Avengers and Rhodey, return to the Quinjet. This time, Natasha is piloting the plane. She sets a course for the scroll’s coordinates, which she’s being tight lipped about. Tony uses this time to berate Rhodey for not telling him about taking a job with Shield. Rhodey claims it’s revenge for not telling him about Steve, in which Clint calls “ooh burn!” from the bathroom.

Hours later, Nat lands the Quinjet, silently announcing their arrival. Rhodey and Tony climb into their armor and spend a moment teasing each other about their equipment before exiting the Quinjet and coming face to face with a snow-covered landscape.

The brunet glances around at the untouched snow, knowing that if he weren’t on a mission right now, he would push Rhodey over and use him as a sled. He tears his eyes away from the landscape and looks upward at the gray sky, noting the light flurries falling down. The genius is hoping there won’t be a blizzard later. “Where are we?” Tony asks, directing the question to Widow.

“The Sakha Republic, just outside of a small town called Zima. I came here for training when I was still a spy for Russia,” the redhead responds, as she slips a light brown coat over her uniform before glaring at Clint and Bruce until they do the same.

“We should head into town,” Cap expresses, sliding his shield onto his right arm. “Try and gather some information.”

“Good call,” Rhodey answers as Natasha leads the way into town, which is only about a five-minute walk from where the Quinjet is settled in the snow.

Zima is a small village nestled in the heart of the Verkhoyansk Range. The village consists entirely of well-constructed log cabins, spaced evenly apart like the houses you would find in a typical American suburban neighborhood. The roofs of each building, in addition to the roadways, are covered in snow. The Avengers end up having to do an awkward zombie walk to reach the town.

As the Avengers make their way through Zima, they notice something strange. The town completely silent, with no signs of life or evidence that anyone has lived here for a long time—well, anything human. The only sounds in the area are the crunching of the Avengers footprints and the creaking of Tony and Rhodey’s armor.

“Was the whole town just . . . abandoned,” Bruce expresses as he steps up to the nearest house and inspects the front door, wondering if he should go inside.

“It appears to be that way, my friend,” Thor answers in a neutral tone. He joins the scientist on the porch and peers around curiously.

“JARVIS, scan for other life forms.”

_“Certainly.”_

“Let’s split up and search for Intel . . . and survivors,” Rhodey says in a serious tone. Everyone murmurs their agreement and spread themselves throughout the town.

“I’m hungry,” Clint announces, suddenly. He lifts the lid off a barrel in front of a cabin and pokes his head inside. “Is there food in here?”

Natasha rolls her eyes and walks away from the archer, kicking open the door of a nearby house and walking inside.

The genius sighs heavily as he waits for JARVIS’s results, an unsettled feeling creeping against his skin. Out of the corner of his eye, Tony sees Cap wander out of one of the many abandoned cabins and walk towards him. The blond stands next to the brunet and surveys the scene, eyes alert and muscles tense.

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Cap says slowly.

“Glad I’m not the only one,” the brunet responds.

Everything is silent for a moment until a loud shot rings through the distance causing Tony and Cap’s heads to whip to the right, watching Natasha dive out of an open door before flames enter the doorway she just was.

“We got hostiles coming in hot!” Rhodey calls out as he fires a repulsor ray at several enemies entering the town.

“JARVIS!”

_“Sir, multiple enemies are approaching from all sides.”_

“Shit!”

“Fucking—Spetsnaz!” Natasha yells as she grabs Clint by the back of his shirt and pulls him behind cover.

A roar sounds out and Hulk runs past Tony and Cap, barreling into several enemy soldiers. The genius fires a repulsor ray of his own and takes out the enemies surrounding his immediate area.

“Guys, be careful. These fuckers play dirty,” Natasha warns, and Tony hears the sound of her dual pistols shooting off in the distance.

“Roger that,” Clint responds before chuckling. “Get it . . . OW!”

“Time and place, Hawkeye,” Natasha growls out over the comms.

“Thor! Hit ‘em with lighting!”

The blond God raises his hammer to the sky, calling in storm clouds and taking out every enemy within a two-mile radius, giving the team a chance to collect themselves. Natasha and Clint emerge from cover and join the others. Hulk hovers near the edge of the town, keeping an eye out for any stragglers.

“Cap, plan?” Natasha asks.

“Iron Man, you and War Machine, take the aerial route and make sure these fuckers don’t get the jump on us. Widow, Hawkeye, and I will cover the ground. Thor, you and Hulk take out anyone who tries to escape. Clear?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Clint answers scanning the area for higher ground.

“To the sky?” Tony asks, directing his question to Rhodey.

“You know it,” Rhodey answers. The genius imagines his friend is grinning behind his faceplate.

The two armored men start up their jet boots and launch into the sky, immediately surveying the scene. They can see a flood of foot soldiers rushing towards the town, but having difficulty due to the snow. Tony notices a large silhouette following the soldiers at a slower pace. Iron Man furrows his brow, confused. “Cap, I think they’ve got armor coming in from the North.”

“What kind?” the Captain inquires.

“Looks like a tank to me,” Rhodey answers hovering in the air next to Tony. “I can only see the one for now—no idea if they have more.”

“Take it out, but be careful,” Cap responds, a sliver of worry slipping into his tone.

“I’m always careful,” Tony proudly announces.

Rhodey snorts, easily seeing through his friend’s bullshit. “Don’t worry, Cap, I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Rho—”

“Thank you.”

“Oh my God, you guys are teaming up on me.”

“Can you just—”

“Let’s go,” Rhodey says before flying towards the unknown weapon. Tony huffs and follows his friend, hearing the white noise of Cap talking to the rest of the team over the comms.

War Machine and Iron Man rapidly fly towards the armor, which turns out to be a tank. Dozens of Spetsnaz surround the device; a few of them are even sitting on the tank itself. Tony scans the scene from behind the faceplate. “How do you want to do this?”

“You distract and I’ll take out the tank,” Rhodes declares.

“Or, you distract and I’ll take out the tank,” Tony retorts.

“That’s not how this works.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I know what this is about—you wanna show off for Cap and prove that you can play with the big boys.”

“Oh _please_. Your ass wants to do the exact same thing.”

Tony raises an eyebrow even though Rhodey can’t see the action. “Excuse me?”

“You can’t sit there and tell me that you don’t want to take out the bad guys and then go back to Cap and say, “Look what I did all by myself! Aren’t you proud?””

“First of all, this isn’t the eighteen hundreds and I don’t need Cap’s approval for shit. And, second, I don’t sound like that.” Tony can feel Rhodey’s incredulous gaze on him. He’s about to insult the other man, when a laser beam shoots from the ground and blasts Rhodey out of Tony’s line of slight. The genius turns to the right and sees the soldiers shouting at each other in Russian and pointing their weapons at him. Tony fires off several repulsor shots taking out a plethora of Spetsnaz as War Machine flies back to Tony’s side, firing several rounds from the Gatling gun on his back.

The pair fights in synchronization for an unknown amount of time, taking out the small army before them. It seems as though whenever one soldier dies, two more take his or her place. Tony shivers as that thought makes him think of Hydra and the whole reason that they’re in this mess. The genius is torn from his disgust with the organization when Rhodey calls out, “I’m gonna hit him with the ex-wife!”

“But, that didn’t work the last time!” Tony calls, briefly recalling the incident a few years ago in Queens with Whiplash and the Hammer Drones.

Rhodey snorts. “I got an upgrade!” The small missile launches from Rhodey’s shoulder and plows into the tank, blowing the armor to the sky along with the last few Spetsnaz soldiers huddling around the vehicle protectively.

“Hammer Tech that actually works,” Tony says with disbelief.

“Hammer Tech that the U.S. Army modified _and then_ made work,” Rhodey says with a hint of pride in his tone.

“If you guys are done smelling the roses, we could use a little help here,” Clint announces over the comms before grunting in frustration.

Tony rolls his eyes and he and Rhodey fly back to Zima where the rest of the Avengers are still fighting. The pair arrives on scene, viewing around fifteen or twenty soldiers surrounding the team. The armored men swoop in and help take out the last of the stragglers. Tony flies over and lands next to Cap as the man nudges the defeated soldier in front of him with a booted foot to make sure he’s down.

The two Avengers are silent for a beat before Tony says in a concerned tone, “Did that seem easy to you, Cap,” He gives the man a curious look even though the soldier can’t see it.

“Way too easy,” Cap agrees.

“Guys,” Natasha calls, worry slipping into her voice.

In the distance, the silhouette of a figure approaches through the snowfall, posture strong and broad. As the humanesque outline approaches, Tony notices they’re dressed in black clothing, face shrouded by thick black goggles and a matching black mask. The person’s dark brown hair falls to their shoulders.

“JARVIS,” Tony warns.

_“Scanning.”_

The mysterious figure pauses about ten feet from the Avengers and Rhodey. The atmosphere is tense and suffocating. Tony glances around to each of his teammates noting various expressions of shock, anger, and confusion. Who is this man? What does he want? In the back of his head, Tony briefly wonders if this man is their first trial . . .

_“Scan complete.”_

The results appear in Tony’s line of sight and he skims the text, his eyes widening and mouth falling open. “Holy shit,” he breathes out quietly before saying louder over the comms. “Guys, that’s James Barnes.”

The team remains silent and Tony immediately turns his head to Steve and watches the man’s face fall, bravado failing and being replaced with distraught, and apprehension. He gulps before saying in a broken voice,

_“Bucky?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kristyn was mad because I didn’t warn her about Bucky, whom she loves to pieces. I regret nothing. Lol.
> 
> Oh and btw, Zima is Russian for winter according to google. I did that shit on purpose. Lol


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommended music: I was listening to my brother playing Assassin's Creed 4 in the background while I was editing this again, so if you want some awesome music, I would recommend the official soundtrack! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

“Who the hell is ‘Bucky’?” The man asks in a mechanical tone.

Tony can literally hear the moment Steve’s heart shatters. The blond takes a calming breath and steps forward as the other man, Bucky, takes a step back. “Bucky . . .”

“Stop calling me that!” The man exclaims in irritation as his hand hovers over the gun holster at his hip. “I am not ‘Bucky.’ I am the Winter Soldier, commander of the Spetsnaz under Aleksander Lukin.”

The genius glances between the two former friends and gulps. “Guys, it’s him . . . he’s the first trial.”

“You think?” Clint questions as he tightens his grip on his bow.

“Well, he _is_ the only one around,” Tony answers slightly annoyed. “Plus, this is Sergeant James Barnes, a soldier to the U.S. Army and he’s Cap’s friend. You don’t get any better than that.”

“So, what are you suggesting?” Natasha asks keeping both eyes locked on the enemy in front of them.

“I’m suggesting that we deal with this. How, though, is up for grabs,” Tony responds before turning to Steve. “Cap, it’s your call.”

The soldier takes a deep breath before his eyes steel with determination. “We bring him in—alive.”

“Bring me in?” Winter Soldier repeats in a mocking tone. “Do you really think that people like _you_ will be able to accomplish such a task?”

Cap takes another step forward and glares. “You’d be surprised at what we can do.”

“We’ll just have to see about that,” Winter Soldier responds in a confident tone. He raises his right hand into the air and snaps his fingers.

The Avengers stand in confused silence for a moment before dozens of combatants appear behind Winter Soldier, dressed in all black and armed with assault rifles and various other weapons of destruction. Luckily, Tony doesn’t see any tanks in sight—a blessing really.

“Holy—” Clint exclaims as he loads an arrow into his bow.

“Brace yourselves!” Rhodey shouts.

 _“ATTACK!”_ Winter Soldier yells. The armed men let out a thunderous battle cry before charging towards the Avengers.

“You guys deal with the Spetsnaz; I’m going after Bucky,” Cap orders, as the Avengers rush to intercept the soldiers.

“Be careful,” Tony says, only for the other man to remain silent. _“Cap!”_

“I will,” Cap responds in a neutral tone before charging towards Winter Soldier, who pulls a whip off his back that glows and crackles with electricity—the same weapon that Whiplash used on Tony a few years back.

The billionaire glances after his boyfriend with a concerned expression until the massive amount of soldiers surrounding him can no longer be ignored. Tony growls in annoyance as he takes out several enemies only for twice the number to reappear. The genius wants this battle to be over with as soon as possible because he’s concerned about Steve and while the man can take care of himself, he gets more reckless in battle when his friends are involved.

Tony launches himself into the air to avoid a spray of bullets flying in his direction before taking out the soldier who fired at him. He turns to deal with the rest when he sees three rouge Spetsnaz approaching Cap, who’s focused on his fight with Winter Soldier, from behind. _“Steve, watch out!”_ He yells, accidently letting the blond’s first name slip through. Iron Man sees Cap dodge Winter Soldier’s kick before whirling around and throwing his shield, knocking the three Russians out.

The Winter Soldier’s muscles lock up and he freezes. _“Steve?”_ He says desperately. The brunet grabs his head and lets out a loud groan.

“Bucky?” Steve responds, shock written over his features.

Winter Soldier groans again before straightening his posture and unholsters the gun at his hip, aiming the weapon at Steve. “Nice try,” he says before firing. Cap raises his shield to block the attack.

“JARVIS, what just happened?” Tony asks as he returns to eliminating the foot soldiers.

 _“It appears that the force that is controlling James Barnes is weakening,”_ the AI responds.

“Cap, this is your window. Whatever has got a hold of your buddy is weakening,” Tony announces over the comms.

“What do you want me to do?” Cap asks.

“Keep talking to him—maybe you’ll trigger something that will free him,” the genius responds.

“You think?” Steve responds, a sliver of hope slipping into his voice.

“We won’t know unless we try,” Tony says before dodging another attack.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Cap answers with determination.

 _“Do you really think it will work, sir?”_ JARVIS inquires.

The billionaire gulps. “For Steve’s sake, I hope so.”

**

The battle continues, each side not willing to forfeit. Natasha and Clint both run out of ammo and have resorted to hand-to-hand combat. Tony takes out three more Spetsnaz and sighs at the few dozen remaining. After this battle, he’s never coming back to Russia again.

“Cap, how ya doin? Please tell me it’s good news?” Clint asks as he ducks to avoid another attack.

“I think I—” Cap cuts himself off and jumps to avoid Bucky’s next blow. “I think I almost got him.” The soldier grunts and gives his friend a pitying look. “Sorry buddy,” he says before a sickening crack is heard. Winter Soldier is disarmed and falls to the ground. Cap shakes out his hand and cringes at the crumped heap that is his friend. “He’s down.”

“Alright!—ACK!” Clint exclaims as he’s knocked down when one of the Spetsnaz hits him with the butt of his gun. Natasha sneaks up behind the enemy and delivers a roundhouse kick to the side of his head.

“I’ve got an idea,” Tony says as he lands and knocks out a few soldiers with his gauntlets. “Rhodey, land for a minute, will ya?” Rhodey complies without a word and the billionaire says, “Thor, bring the thunder.”

“Did you really just do that?” Rhodey asks in a disbelieving tone.

The God raises his hammer into the air and storm clouds appear before lightning descends on the soldiers. Each one screams in terror for several seconds before falling silent and collapsing unmoving to the ground.

A hushed calm appears over the land and Clint sighs with relief. Hulk transforms back into Bruce and Natasha brings him some warm clothes she previously found in a cabin before all the fighting started.

Tony glances over the team and deems them fine before walking over to Steve and clasping his shoulder with one armored covered hand. “You did good, Cap.”

Steve closes his eyes as a fond smile creeps on his features.

Tony lifts his faceplate and looks at the other man. “Are you okay?”

Steve nods and opens his eyes. “A few minor bruises, but I’ll heal in a few hours and that’s not what you meant, is it?”

“Nope,” Tony responds.

Cap sighs. He pulls off his mask and glances down at his friend with a saddened expression. “Once we get to the bottom of what happened and get Bucky back on our side, I’ll be fine.” He turns his head to look at Tony. “Are you okay?”

The genius moves his hand from Steve’s shoulder to the middle of his back. “Yeah, just some minor damage to the armor. Their guns aren’t as powerful as their propaganda.”

Steve snorts loudly which causes Tony to chuckle. The blond turns into their half embrace, resting his chin on Tony’s armored covered shoulder, which must be freezing to the touch. The genius wraps his arm tighter around the soldier, offering his boyfriend the silent comfort that he needs.

A loud and pained groan erupts several minutes later that brings the two out of their quiet daze. They exchange a worried glance and hurry to Bucky’s side, kneeling on either side of the man. Tony watches as Bucky pulls off his goggles and looks around, confused by his surroundings before his eyes fall on Steve’s form. “Steve?” he says in a disbelieving tone, as if this whole situation is too good to be true.

Steve bites down on his lip, looking overwhelmed with happiness. “Hey Bucky.”

Those words prompt Bucky to launch himself off the ground and bodily tackle Steve, knocking the man onto his rear in snow covered pavement. Bucky wraps his arms tightly around Steve’s neck and buries his masked face into the man’s shoulder. Steve pats Bucky on the back, a soft smile on his face.

“They told me you were dead,” Bucky says his voice muffled by Steve’s shoulder. “I didn’t want to believe it, but . . . you didn’t come.”

Steve’s smile falls and his features become shrouded with guilt and hurt. He glances at Tony, who can only offer him a sympathetic look in return at this moment.

Eventually, Bucky’s hold on Steve loosens and he releases his friend before sitting on his heels and glancing over the blond’s features. “Am I dreaming?” Steve shakes his head and remains silent. Bucky takes a shaky breath before pulling off his mask and glancing around. “Where are we?”

“Zima, in the Sakha Republic,” Tony answers, making himself known. He watches Bucky turn and give him a suspicious yet curious look. The armored man gives him a friendly smile. “Tony Stark, I’m a friend of Steve’s.”

Bucky’s eyes widen briefly and he looks between the engineer and the blond before chuckling and holding out his hand. “James Barnes—you can call me Bucky.”

Tony shakes his hand before standing up. The other two men follow his example and the engineer takes the chance to glance over Bucky’s features while the latter chats with Steve. Barnes looks worn and weary, probably from years of experimentation and torture. Despite his haggard appearance, his eyes are alight with youthful joy as he looks at Steve and the world around him as if he’s seeing everything for the first time. The genius is pulled from his thoughts when Bucky says,

“Hey, did you know that bastard Skull is back? I remember runnin him outta town a while back. I woulda had him too, if I didn’t lose him in that fucking storm,” Bucky says, irritated.

Wait; didn’t he hear Skull himself say something similar? “Do you remember what he was doing or when all this happened?” Tony prompts nervously.

A thoughtful expression floods Bucky’s features for a moment before he snaps his fingers. “Yeah, he was testing out some foreign looking tech on some civilians,” he scowls again. “I remember that clearly because the winter was harsh and people were dying quicker than they should have from “frostbite.” That was in the early 1970s. I don’t remember the exact month.”

Tony and Steve exchange a worried look. “Fuck,” Tony mouths out.

Bucky glances between the two men. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, of course not,” Tony responds, gently. “You just . . . confirmed something I’ve been wondering about . . . thank you.”

“Just out of curiosity, Buck, how much do you remember?” Steve inquires.

Bucky shrugs, looking at the ground and fiddling anxiously with the mask in his hands. “Not much . . . just a bits and pieces. One thing I remember clear as day was a fellow named Dennis Smith. He was an American who was . . . uh, held prisoner for a while. When I was guarding him, he would talk with me and we talked about a variety of things, mainly about sports—apparently it’s 2013 and Maryland has a team called the Ravens and they recently won the Super Bowl? He was very passionate and spoke highly of them . . .”

“What happened to him?” Steve asks concern written on his features.

“He died,” Bucky declares ominously.

Steve takes a step towards his friend. “Bucky . . .”

“Hey, no, don’t. It was a long time ago,” Bucky says in a neutral tone. “I’ve had time to cope.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Steve asks.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just trust me on this one,” Bucky responds, continuing to look at the ground.

“You know you can talk to me right? About anything?” Steve says.

“I know,” Bucky answers, finally meeting Steve’s eyes and giving his friend a tight smile.

Tony looks between the two men, feeling useless. Don’t get him wrong, he does want to help, but he’s not good with talking about serious subjects— one of the reasons why he avoided Pepper every time she wanted to talk about their relationship. That’s probably why they didn’t last long. “So,” Tony begins, hoping to lessen the tense atmosphere. “Are you ready to see New York again?

Bucky gets a surprised look on his face before his eyes shine with delight. “I get to go with you?”

“Of course,” Tony says in an obvious tone hoping to disguise the fact that his heart shattered at that sentence.

“If you ladies are done gossiping,” Rhodey begins announcing his presence. “Can we go? The others are already on the Quinjet and I’m starting to chafe.”

“I told you that if you’re not going to wear an under suit, you need to use baby powder on your inner thighs before going long periods of time in the armor,” Tony scolds.

“Well, excuse me for thinking we were gonna be in and out, mom,” Rhodey says, lifting his faceplate and emphasizing his tone with a glare.

“You’re excused,” Tony retorts.

“Why you—”

“Hey!” Clint says over the comms in an annoyed tone. “Let’s go! Natasha told me I can’t shit until we take off so hurry up and get back here!”

“Is he always like this?” Bucky asks in a confused voice.

“Pretty much,” Steve responds with an eye roll. He bends at the waist to pick up his shield. Tony wolf-whistles, which causes Rhodey to snort, and Bucky to laugh loudly. The blond stands again, shield in his hand. He has a frown on his face, while his eyes are alight with amusement. “Tony . . .” he begins trying to feign exasperation and failing.

“Not sorry,” the engineer replies with a grin.

Steve snorts and shakes his head fondly before wandering away from the three men, and setting a course for the Quinjet.

“Wow, guys, doesn’t Steve’s ass look simply _divine_ in those tights,” Tony exclaims loudly, which causes Rhodey to snort. Steve’s response is to turn and look at Tony through half-lidded eyes and a flirty smile on his lips.

Hm, two can play at this game. Tony wets his bottom lip with his tongue before biting down on his lip and giving his boyfriend a come-hither look with his eyes. The blond obliges, taking slow, purposeful steps towards his lover.

“Oh shit— _Stevie-poo_ , when did you get game?” Bucky exclaims proudly.

The soldier halts mid-step, expression quickly changing from seductive to aghast. “Oh no, don’t you dare bring back—”

“ _Stevie-poo?_ Oh shit yes, I’m gonna _have_ to use that,” Tony declares with an amused grin.

“Oh no,” Steve says, horrified. “You guys are teaming up on me.”

“Hey, if you and Rhodey are gonna do it to me, Bucky and I can do it to you,” Tony responds with a grin. When Steve frowns, the brunet says, “I love you.”

A small smile graces Steve’s lips. “I love you, too.”

“Seriously, guys, I really have to poop, can you please just flirt on the plane?” Clint announces with a hint of desperation over the comms.

Tony sighs heavily, feigning annoyance. “Fine, we’re coming, you impatient fucker.” To the three men standing with him, he says, “Let’s go.”

**

Natasha flies the team back to New York. She lands on the Helipad atop Stark Tower. Everyone exits the jet still in uniform except for Rhodey and Tony, who both shed their armor and redressed in their civilian clothes. The team stand on the Helipad chatting amongst themselves before Bucky gets a depressed look on his face and turns to walk away from the Avengers.

“Hey, Buck, where are you going” Steve asks in a troubled tone.

“I got nowhere to go, Steve, “Bucky answers with a depressed look on his face. “I gotta start looking for a place.”

Tony shrugs. “Why not stay here?”

Bucky furrows his brow. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s cool,” the genius responds. “Hell, I’ll even extend the invite to Rhodey since he’ll be offended if I don’t offer.”

“You’re damn right,” Rhodey says crossing his arms and nodding.

“Aww!” Clint cooed sliding over and pinching Tony’s cheek between his thumb and index finger. “I knew you were a good guy!”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “By you pinching my cheek, I assume you’re prepared to lose that hand?”

Clint squeaks and quickly hides behind Natasha, who rolls her eyes.

The billionaire shakes his head and turns back to Bucky and Rhodey. “So, what do you say?”

“Look, I’m in,” Rhodey answers immediately.

“Yeah, me too,” Bucky responds with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

Tony shrugs. “No problem. There’s plenty of room—too much in fact.” He feels a warm hand rest on his lower back, which causes him to smile. Steve . . .

 _“Looks like someone’s getting some tonight,”_ Clint whispers hoarsely, causing Natasha to snort and Rhodey to howl with laughter. Steve glares at Clint and the archer just shrugs and grins.

“I’m done—I’m so fucking done,” Rhodey exclaims in between bouts of laughter. “That was so good, but I am done. I’m gonna get something to eat—woo lord . . .” He turns and heads for a small-enclosed room not far from the team, which contains the elevator.

“Hey! Don’t touch my pie!” Bruce says before following the man.

“Nor my tarts that pop!” Thor agrees before following Bruce.

“Hey Bucky,” Tony says, changing the subject and catching the man’s attention. “This might sound weird, but would it be alright if JARVIS scans you to make sure everything in your brain is working properly.”

At Bucky’s suspicious and offended look, the genius adds, “You don’t even have to come to the lab. JARVIS can scan you from everywhere and it’s completely harmless. It’s just a precaution to make sure that the technology the Russian’s used to control your mind is eradicated.”

Bucky gives the genius a look of approval before it switches to one of confusion. “What is a JAR-VIS?”

“Basically, he’s a—” Tony pauses. “The Tower talks.”

The soldier gives Tony an impressed look. “Well what do ya know!”

Tony opens his mouth to respond when Clint screams, startling the man. “Holy shit, Clint, what the hel—”

 _“I just realized I have an entire pizza downstairs and Rhodes is alone with it!”_ The archer jumps out from behind Natasha and runs to the elevator.

“Shall we gentlemen?” Natasha asks with a small smile.

“We shall,” Bucky responds. He holds out his arm, which the woman takes as they head for the elevator.

“Smooth,” Tony says impressed.

“Huh, why didn’t I think of that?” Steve wonders aloud.

“As I recall, you were too busy with your tongue in my throat,” Tony says with a smirk.

“Ton—” Steve sighs. “What’s the point?” He murmurs before reluctantly following the brunet the elevator.

**

The elevator doors open and the five teammates exit into the common room and find the place empty, which is odd because Rhodey, Thor, and Bruce had previously come down. They enter the kitchen area and Clint immediately rushes to the fridge and throws open the door before growling in frustration. “That little bitch stole my fucking food!”

Tony rolls his eyes. “While you handle that, I’m heading to the lab. I better not find any bodies when I come back up.”

“No promises,” Clint responds in a clipped tone.

“Just so you know I’m not bailing you out again.” Tony turns to head for his lab when he feels Steve tug on his shirtsleeve. He glances up at the man with a curious expression.

“I’ll come down later, okay?”

The genius gives Steve a soft smile. “Okay.” He rises to his tiptoes and gives his boyfriend a quick peck before sliding out of his grip and descending the stairs to his lab. He punches in the code and opens the door. Tony enters his lab and claps his hands twice. “Honey, I’m back~”

 _“Very amusing, sir,”_ JARVIS deadpans.

Dummy chirps happily and rolls over to Tony, stopping at the man’s side. The billionaire smiles and pats the robot. “Hey boy, I see you’re behaving yourself for once.”

The robot chirps proudly.

Tony shakes his head and walks over to his workbench with Dummy following loyally behind him. He plops down in one of his lab chairs and glances over at the monitors in front of him. “JARVIS, I need you to, run a scan of James Barnes in real time.”

_“Are we searching for anything in particular?”_

“Mainly to make sure that the people who brainwashed him aren’t still lurking around. Go ahead and check for anything else you might think of.”

_“Right away, sir.”_

The AI falls silent. Tony attempts to focus on the monitors in front of him, but he’s distracted by his thoughts of the battle and Bucky. Something about his and Steve’s earlier conversation with the other brunet doesn’t seem right. “JAR, I need you to look up someone for me—Dennis Smith. He was in contact with Barnes while he was under control by the Russians.”

 _“One moment,”_ JARVIS responds. A few seconds later, a variety of windows open on the screens in front of Tony. _“Dennis Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1992. He was attending college and studying abroad in Russia at the time of his disappearance. His classmates have said that the last time they heard from him was in March of this year. His body was discovered in Moscow on July 15th, 2013.”_

Tony’s eyes widen. “Shit, that was just last month.” He remembers Bucky mentioning earlier that he only remembers bits of what happened to him, which sounded suspicious to Tony. He’s thinking that the Russian’s either hypnotized Bucky into forgetting certain events or the man is lying about how much he remembers. Based on Tony’s personal experience, he’s betting heavily on the latter. “Is there any other information on Dennis?”

_“If by that you mean, is there anything about how he was captured and what happened while he was imprisoned then I’m afraid I have no further information.”_

“Fuck,” Tony mouths out. He rests his elbows on the table in front of him and runs his hands through his hair.

_“What do you want to do with this information, sir?”_

“We make sure no one finds out that we know especially Bucky or Steve. In fact, make Steve the top person on the list to not find this out,” Tony announces.

_“Sir, I thought you said—”_

“I know what I said,” Tony snaps before sighing. “Look, I know that Steve and I agreed to be honest with each other before we started this whole relationship thing but, I can’t tell him this—it’s not my place. The only person who has the right to tell Steve is Bucky.”

_“That is actually quite mature of you, sir.”_

“Yeah, well,” Tony says while rolling his eyes. “I don’t feel mature.” The billionaire’s phone suddenly goes off, which startles the man. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the device before accepting the call without checking caller ID. “Hel—”

“Stark, I need you to come in.”

“—lo to you too, Director. What can I help you with?”

“There’s an issue with our servers and we can’t seem to figure out the problem.”

“Gee, there’s a shocker.”

“I don’t have time for games, _Mr._ Stark. Now, shut your smart mouth and get to base.”

Fury hangs up and Tony gives his phone an offended look before sighing.

He slides his phone back into his front pocket and continues looking over the monitors, reading more about Dennis, when he’s brought out of his thoughts by a loud crash. He looks up and sees Dummy attempting to pick up the toolbox he knocked over. The genius blinks. “I really will donate you to any elementary school, just you watch.” Dummy hangs his arm in shame and Tony rolls his eyes.

_“Sir, James Barnes’s results are in.”_

“And?”

_“There is no evidence of outside influence in Mr. Barnes’s brain at the current moment. Everything appears to be functioning normally.”_

Tony sighs. “That’s a relief. We’ll have to keep an eye on him, though, just to be safe.”

_“Of course, sir.”_

The genius reluctantly stands and heads upstairs. He hears voices flowing from the kitchen and follows them before finding Steve and Bucky sitting across from each other with mugs placed in front of them—it smells like they’re drinking tea. Tony scrunches his nose and gently hits Steve on the arm.

The blond looks up at Tony. “Hey,” he says before giving the billionaire a concerned look. “You okay?”

“Fury wants me to go into Shield,” Tony says, rolling his eyes. The director always wants something when it’s inconvenient for everyone else.

Steve gives Tony a sympathetic look before patting him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Tony. You go ahead, we’ll be okay.”

“Aw, you just want me to go, so you can talk about me to Bucky,” Tony teases with a smile.

“I wasn’t—” Steve begins.

“You totally were about too,” Bucky says, ignoring Steve’s glare. “I want all the details.” He leans forward in his seat and looks Steve in the eye. “All of them.”

“No,” Steve says, sharply. Bucky responds with a smirk that says he is getting the information out of Steve one way or another.

The billionaire rolls his eyes fondly at their banter. “Fine, while you two _lovebirds_ catch up, I’m going to deal with Fury and try not to throw myself off the Helicarrier.” He goes to give Steve a kiss on the cheek, but the soldier turns his head and presses their lips together gently. The brunet smiles into the kiss and slides his tongue against Steve’s teasingly before pulling away. “I’ll see you later?”

“Okay,” the blond responds.

“Barnes,” Tony deadpans.

“Stark,” Bucky retorts.

The two hold blank looks for a beat before bursting into laughter. Bucky waves goodbye to Tony, as the brunet heads for the landing pad to slide into his armor and head for Shield Headquarters.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

“How far are we from Headquarters, JARVIS?” Tony asks, clad in his armor and heading towards the Shield Helicarrier, which is hovering high above New York State.

_“Approximately two minutes.”_

“Excellent, I can’t wait to be greeted by Fury’s smiling face,” the billionaire says with a smirk.

_“I’m certain the Director will be pleased to see you as well.”_

“He better; I got all dressed up for this.”

_“Very amusing, sir.”_

Tony arrives at the Helicarrier and circles around trying to find a place to land. He glances around the runway before noticing Director Fury standing in front a door. The billionaire grins and lands in front of Fury, who is wearing a deep frown on his face. “Director, you are a sight for sore eyes,” he says flipping up his faceplate and wearing a smirk.

Fury rolls his eye and glares at the armor-clad brunet. “Cut the shit, Stark, and follow me,” Fury says before opening the door behind him and walking inside.

Tony quickly strips off his armor, revealing the crisp black suit he’s wearing underneath, and watches his tech contort into a briefcase. Picking up the object, Tony throws open the door and quickly catches up to Fury, who’s already halfway down the hall. “So, what exactly is wrong with the servers? You weren’t clear on the phone.”

“If I knew what was wrong with the servers, I wouldn’t have called you in.”

“Ooh, touchy. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

Fury snorts. “You try being woken up at five am on your day off, only to find out that someone fucked up your entire system.”

“Been there, done that.”

“Then you know that I just want this figured out as fast as possible. The sooner you do, the sooner we can both go home.”

Tony nods his head. “Fair enough,” he agrees.

The pair continues their walk to the server room in silence. Tony glances around the various hallways and empty rooms with curious brown eyes, noting the repairs that Shield has begun since the Red Skull attacked base over two months ago. The billionaire grinds his teeth just thinking about the battle—he’s never seen Steve so angry before. Hell, Tony himself hasn’t been that angry since he was held in Afghanistan.

The genius snaps out of his daze when he hears a throat clearing. He turns his head from the wall he was staring at and notices Fury standing in front of a door midway down the hall. The billionaire silently berates himself for falling behind and quickly catches up to the man.

“Is there something you want to inform me of, Stark?” The Director asks sounding genuinely curious.

“Nope, nothing at all,” Tony answers while plastering a smile to his face.

Fury raises an eyebrow, clearly not believing Tony. “Are you sure?”

“Yep,” Tony says, continuing to smile. He holds Fury’s gaze for a beat before nodding towards the door. “Shall we?”

The Director gives the man one last suspicious look before opening the door to the server room and stepping inside. The smile falls off the billionaire’s face as he follows Fury into the room. He blinks his eyes at the presence of a low red hue that covers the entire area. Tony shuts the door behind him and slowly moves through the narrow spaces in-between each of the celling high servers, blinking with various lights and emitting a soft humming noise.

Tony stumbles into an open area located in the center of the room. A small laptop sits on a wooden table with a chair placed behind it near the middle of the room. Fury is standing a few feet from the table with his arms crossed and steady gaze focused on nothing. The billionaire crosses the space and sets his briefcase on the floor next to the table. Tony opens the laptop and starts the device up. “You still haven’t told me what happened yet.”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Fury admits, turning his eye to Tony. “The guys down in I.T. said everything was working fine one minute, and then the next . . . nothing.”

“Any theories?”

“They think it might be something internal that’s wrong, but if it was, the problem would have been solved by now.”

“And what do you think?”

“I think there’s more to the story—and that’s why you’re here.”

Tony hums thoughtfully in response. He pulls his phone and a USB cable from his pocket. The brunet plugs the device into the computer and begins tapping on his phone.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m uploading JARVIS to the system and before you say anything, he’s just going to find out what exactly is going on.”

Fury’s frown deepens. “Fine, but I want him gone when this is over.”

“Yeah, okay,” the billionaire responds in a nonchalant tone without looking up from his phone.

“I mean it, Stark,” Fury says in a more demanding tone.

Tony looks up from his phone. “So did I,” he says before returning to his device. He presses a few more buttons before saying, “JARVIS, can you hear me?”

_“Loud and clear, sir,”_ JARVIS responds.

“Excellent. I need you to run a scan of the Shield servers and see what you can find.

_“As you wish.”_

The AI falls silent and the room is once again filled with the sound of low humming. Tony unplugs his phone and places both the device and the USB cable back into his pocket. The genius pulls out the chair from under the table and settles down before beginning to type.

Around fifteen minutes later, a notification window from JARVIS pops up onscreen in Tony’s field of vision. The genius scans the window and scrunches his face, which gains Fury’s interest.

“Find something?”

Tony shakes his head in disappointment. “You were right. You’re systems been compromised.”

Fury uncrosses his arms and scowls. “You’re fucking me.”

“No, and gross,” the billionaire responds. He picks up the laptop and sets it in front of the Shield Director. “If you look closely, you can tell that parts of the coding are missing which means that—”

“Some information has been deleted,” Fury finished while Tony nods. “But, what could they possibly have wanted?”

Tony shrugs. “Who knows? Shield contains valuable and critical information on just about everyone.”

“Just about?”

“No one can pin down Widow.”

Fury pauses before nodding his agreement. If there’s anyone who is hard to keep information on, it’s Natasha Romanov herself. “Can you figure out who’s behind this?”

“In theory.”

“Explain.”

“Well,” Tony begins as he takes the laptop back from Fury. “Yes, I can track down the location of the device used to hack Shield, but I can’t tell you whom it was or exactly what information was stolen. Since this was an undercover operation, and a thorough one at that, it will take some time.”

“How much time are we talking?”

“Hmmm, about twelve hours. Possibly less if I work continuously and without rest. Steve won’t like that very much . . .”

“Stark,” Fury says, drawing the man’s attention. “Be quiet and find the damn hacker. The sooner we have him in custody, the better.”

 

The door to the server room opens and footsteps approach the center of the room. Loki pokes his head from between two servers a few seconds later and glances between the two men. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not at all,” Tony responds, before taking his gaze off the computer and turning to Loki. “What can I do for you?”

Loki steps further into the space with the scroll in his hand. “I wanted to let you know that I’ve finished translating the second trial and we can begin on your order,” he says, directing the last part at Fury.

“Call the others Stark,” Fury says in a neutral tone before leaving the room without sparing Tony or Loki a second glance.

Loki waits until Fury leaves before saying, “Rough day?”

Tony huffs. “You have no idea,” he responds before pulling out his phone and dialing Steve’s number.

“Hello?” Steve’s voice chimes over the speaker.

“Hey Steve,” Tony responds before chewing on his bottom lip.

“Tony, are you alright? You sound annoyed.”

The brunet snorts. It’s still a weird feeling for Tony being with someone who knows him so well—aside from Pepper, of course. “Yeah, being around Fury will do that to even the gentlest of souls,” he responds, smiling when Steve chuckles. “Speaking of, Fury wants you and the team to come in—Loki knows the second trial.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we can. Try not to maim anyone before we arrive.”

“I make no promises.”

The billionaire can almost hear Steve rolling his eyes. “I’ll see you in a bit then. I love you.”

Tony glances over at Loki, who has suddenly become interested in his shoes. “Love you too. Bye.” He hangs up the phone and looks over at Loki, who raises an eyebrow. “Don’t.”

The raven-haired man raises his hands. “I wasn’t going too.”

“JARVIS, can you handle the situation here while I intend to other matters?” Tony asks his AI.

_“Of course, sir.”_

“Good,” Tony responds before picking up his briefcase and leaving the room, hearing the sounds of Loki following him.

“So . . . you and the Captain?” Loki begins with a hint of teasing in his tone.

“And now you’re starting it,” Tony says with a sigh.

**

Loki and Tony arrive at the Avengers usual meeting room after getting lost in the Helicarrier’s various corridors and arguing for twenty minutes. Tony opens the door and steps inside seeing the other Avengers clad in their uniforms, Hill, Coulson, Fury, and Bucky (wearing his Winter Soldier uniform minus the face mask) already seated. Fury stands at the head of the table followed by Coulson on his right, Thor, an empty chair, Natasha, Clint, Steve, an empty chair, Bruce, and Hill seated on the Director’s left.

The billionaire walks further into the room and sets his briefcase on the ground before sliding into his seat next to Steve. He looks up and gives his boyfriend a tight smile before pulling out his phone and checking on JARVIS’s progress at scanning Shield’s servers. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Loki and Fury talk quietly. The raven-haired man nods at something the Director says that Tony can’t identify. The Trickster then walks around the table and settles in the seat next to his brother. Thor clasps the lithe man on the back of his neck in greeting, which earns him a faint smile from the other man.

Fury clears his throat, which causes all eyes to turn toward him. “I’m assuming that you already know about Loki uncovering the second trial, correct?” The team nods. “Good. Then, that saves some time.” The Director turns his gaze towards Loki in a silent gesture for him to begin.

The raven-haired man straightens his posture, pulls out the scroll from his pocket, and unrolls it. He places the parchment between himself and Thor, watching as his brother scans the document with interest. Loki says, “The text tells to search for an object that is both scared and mythical—a “grail” of some sorts.”

“You mean . . . the Holy Grail?” Coulson questions.

“Well, yes, that’s exactly correct.” Loki responds.

“Are you kidding me?” Clint exclaims appalled.

“Ney. My brother speaks the truth,” Thor confirms, continuing to glance at the text in front of him.

Tony snorts. “So, I’m guessing the Skull is a fan of King Arthur?”

“Do you have any idea where it’s located?” Steve asks in an attempt to get the conversation back on track.

“The last known whereabouts of the grail appear to be near a place called Winchester, England. According to the scroll, the object should be located on the outskirts of the city,” Loki answers.

“Then, we shall begin our quest immediately,” Thor declares causing Loki to roll his eyes at his enthusiasm.

“Aw sweet! Road trip!” Clint says with a smile on his face. “I call driving!”

“You’re not,” Natasha deadpans.

Clint huffs and crosses his arms, mumbling to himself about how Natasha is not fun.

“Then, it’s settled. Find the damn thing and bring it back here,” Fury declares before exiting the meeting room with Coulson and Hill following behind him.

Tony bites down on his lower lip and slides his phone back into his pocket. He turns towards Steve, who has a thoughtful expression on his face. “What’re you thinking?”

Steve turns his head and glances at Tony before smiling. “I think this is the second most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, and I grew up in the forties. I mean, Holy Grails? King Arthur? That’s the stuff of legends that parents tell their children at night.”

“Well, when I was a kid, I was always told about the legend of an ordinary man, who achieved things that no one else could possibly imagine. He became the greatest hero known to man . . . and here you are,” Tony responds with a teasing smile on his face. The genius knew there was a reason he kept funding the expedition his father started years ago. If only he was able to get to Steve before Shield caught wind and took over—maybe the blond would have had an easier time transitioning to the modern world.

Steve laughs lightly and smiles wider. “I’m glad that you found me, Tony.”

The brunet responds with a soft smile. “Yeah . . . me too.”

“Are you two gonna kiss or something because if you are, let me know so I can go vomit.”

“Fuck you, Clint,” Tony says while giving the archer the finger. He turns back to his boyfriend and says, “Speaking of cussing at people, where’s Rhodey?”

“He said he had to do some work on base,” Steve answers.

“Is that all he said?” Tony asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Pretty much,” Steve responds. “Why? Do you think he’s lying?”

“Well, he is known for being a sneaky little bastard, so who knows,” Tony says with a shrug. “Though he did say he was only going to be around for a few weeks—maybe he’s trying to figure out a way to extend his time here.”

Steve hums. “I guess you’ll just have to ask him then, huh?”

Tony nods. “Oh yeah, definitely.”

Clint yawns loudly, standing from his seat and stretching. “I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready to blow this joint. You guys good to go?”

Natasha rises from her seat as well. “We may as well get this over with.” The assassin turns to Loki and regards him with a curious expression. “Are you going to join us as well?” she asks, causing all eyes to turn to the man in question.

“I would, but unfortunately, I am still a criminal and I am to “remain under strict observation.” Keeping me here is poor planning on Shield’s part considering the fact that they haven’t bound my magic . . .” Loki trails off thoughtfully, and Natasha rolls her eyes. The raven-haired man gathers up his belongings and says, “Best of luck to you all,” before exiting the room in a puff of smoke.

Thor chuckles. “It appears as though my brother has not forgotten his old antics.”

“How are things going with you two?” Steve asks the Asgardian. The team makes their way out of the meeting room and heads towards the Heilcarrier’s hangar to pick up the Quinjet.

“Rather well, actually,” Thor responds as he falls into step with the soldier. “Our conversations have grown pleasant once more in recent weeks. I always knew that the brother I grew up with was still inside Loki. I feel that I am finally getting to see him again.”

Steve smiles brightly and clasps Thor on the shoulder. “I’m really happy for you, pal.”

“That makes two of us,” the Asgardian responds with a wide grin. “Thank you, Shield brother.”

“Anytime,” Steve responds as the Avengers reach the doors that will lead to the hangar.

Natasha opens the double doors and the team pile into the enormous, brightly lit space and begins walking towards the Quinjet, which is parked on the other side of the hangar.

“Damn, Nat, you couldn’t have parked any closer?” Clint asks.

“There was a huge ass plane in my way, Clint, you were there,” Natasha responds in an exasperated tone.

“Hey, no fighting,” Bucky says while Natasha and Clint glare at each other. “Center yourselves and find your inner peace.”

Steve snorts. “You’ve been watching way too many yoga videos,” he says with a grin on his face.

“Hey, you’re watching them with me, so don’t start,” Bucky teases with a smile. He laughs when Steve raises his hands in a mock gesture of surrender.

“Your chariot, madam,” Clint announces in a snarky tone as he points to the Quinjet.

Natasha glares at the archer before saying, “I will hurt you.”

Clint holds the redhead’s gaze as he backs away and hides behind Thor.

The assassin rolls her eyes and unlocks the jet, watching the loading panel lower to ground level. “All aboard,” she says leading the way into the jet and immediately heading for the pilot’s chair and starting the jet up.

Clint slides into the seat next to her, pointedly looking away from the woman.

Tony settles into his usual seat and straps in before pulling out his phone and, once again, checking on JARVIS’s progress. So far, the AI hasn’t found anything out of the ordinary and that worries Tony. The lack of findings or errors shows that these hackers are experienced and intentionally invaded Shield’s servers. But, for what purpose?

The brunet feels Steve plop down next to him and he smiles to himself before turning and meeting his boyfriend’s bright blue eyes. “You ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Steve responds, strapping himself in and holding out his right hand for Tony to take.

The genius smiles and laces their fingers together before setting their clasped hands in his lap.

“Everybody good?” Natasha calls from the front of the cockpit.

“We’re good,” everyone responds. The corner of the redhead’s lips quirk as he puts the plane into gear.

**

The flight to England is long and boring. Almost immediately since takeoff, Clint began singing show tunes over the intercom until Natasha took the microphone away from him. In the back, the guys struggle with making conversation. Tony decides to inform the team of Shield’s hacking much to the horror of everyone except for Natasha, who knows everything.

The brunet answers everyone’s questions to the best of his ability, informing the team that he doesn’t know much and that JARVIS is working on it. As soon as Tony said those words, the guys immediately started directing their questions to the AI, who doesn’t have any new information to share. The questions and curiosity simmers down after that, but Tony knows the hacking is still on the forefront of everyone’s mind.

Natasha announces their arrival to England around a half an hour later and lands the Quinjet in the middle of a woodsy clearing. The assassin shuts the jet off and joins the rest of her team in the back with Clint stumbling behind her. “Welcome to Winchester. Now, get off my plane.”

The team quickly piles off the Quinjet, with Tony and Natasha being the last two to exit. The billionaire stayed to slip into his armor and the latter lingered to make sure she didn’t forget anything. The Avengers scatter around the clearing, looking at the ground with curiosity and confusion.

“So, what’s the plan?” Bruce asks after everyone is off the plane.

“We spilt up and search for clues,” Cap suggests.

“Are you quoting Scooby Doo? I am so done with you,” Clint says. At Steve’s confused look, he gasps, “You don’t know what that is yet, do you?”

“No?” the blond answers hesitantly.

Clint clicks his tongue. “I’m gonna have to show you when we’re finished here,” he declares.

“. . . Okay,” Steve says confused. He looks over at Tony, who shrugs in response.

“Ignore him, Cap, it’s a good plan,” Natasha says before hitting Clint in the arm and berating him in her native tongue.

“Well . . . okay. We’ll spilt up and meet back here in three hours,” Cap announces.

With those words, the Avengers spilt up. Natasha grabs Clint by the arm and drags him into the forest. Thor and Bruce walk together in different direction, leaving Steve, Tony, and Bucky alone in the clearing. The latter two grin mischievously to each other and Steve groans, knowing that the two men are going to do nothing, but tease him mercilessly. Silently hoping that things go well, Cap follows his two comrades into the forest.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

“Hey, do you guys think we’re going to find anything?” Bucky asks curiously.

“I hope so,” Tony responds. “Otherwise this is a huge waste of my time.”

“Do you think your . . . talking house can help us out?” Bucky inquires.

“Technically, he’s artificial intelligence that I created to make my life easier. So, yes,” Tony responds. “JARVIS?”

_“Preforming a real time scan of the area as we speak,”_ the AI answers.

While JARVIS works, the three men continue to walk through the wooded area. The entire forest is silent aside from the sounds of their footsteps, and the creaking of Tony’s armor. A crow cawing in the distance breaks the silence, followed by the fluttering of wings. The men find a dirt path that appears to lead further into the forest. Even though they all silently doubt that they’ll find the grail along a dirt path, they decide to follow it anyway.

Various windows pop in Tony’s field of vision, showing inconclusive results. “Am I the only one getting a weird vibe?” he asks cautiously.

“From this place? Oh yeah,” Bucky agrees, looking around with distaste.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Tony answers as he comes to a halt. “Although, this place is fucking creepy.”

Steve pauses in his stride and turns to look at the other man. “Are you okay, Tones?”

Tony shrugs before realizing that Steve can’t see the motion. “Yeah, I’m . . .” he begins before cutting himself off. He brunet sighs, already regretting the lie he didn’t get the chance to tell. He can’t lie to Steve, not to his face anyway. “No, I’m not okay.”

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling all right? Do you need to go back to the Quinjet?” Steve asks, concerned as he steps closer to Tony.

“What? No, Steve, I feel fine physically, I promise,” Tony reassures. “I just—I can’t get rid of this uncomfortable feeling.”

Steve furrows his brow. “Is it Bucky? I can make him go away.”

“No, no, it’s not him.”

The Captain pauses. “Is it the trial?”

“It’s the entire concept of the trials,” Tony says in a relieved tone. He lifts his faceplate revealing his troubled expression. “Something doesn’t sit right with me, and it’s not just the ancient magic.” He scoffs. “I’m probably just being paranoid again.”

“Hey, no, honey,” Steve says gently before placing a hand on Tony’s armored shoulder. “Don’t dismiss your concerns as paranoia—we can’t help the way we feel! Back in the war, I used to tell the boys that, “your gut is always right. Never doubt it.”

The corner of Tony’s mouth quirks upward. He feels guilty for bothering Steve with his emotions and distracting him from the mission, yet he’s relieved for finally being able to tell someone how uncomfortable and suspicious these trials make him. “Well, my _gut_ is telling me that we shouldn’t have gotten involved with these trials in the first place, even though we’re trying to stop Skull. I just—I just feel like there’s some horrible catch.”

“Like when you try to enter an online sweepstakes, only to have your computer infected, crash, and not turn on?” Steve suggests.

Tony nods. “Yeah, exac—wait, what did you do?”

“We can talk about that later. What’s important is that you’re opening up,” Steve smiles. “I’m proud of you.”

The billionaire gives Steve a suspicious look. “Uh-huh. You’re not off the hook, Rogers,” he responds in a light-hearted tone.

“Oh, I think I’ll find a way,” Steve answers with a flirty smile, which Tony returns.

The sound of rustling bushes appears from the right before Bucky’s figure emerges. “Hey, Twilight, can we get a move on here?” he asks, not fazed by the pairs offended glares.

“You know what Twilight is?” Tony questions.

“Dennis told me about the book, and I told Steve,” Bucky responds. He opens his mouth to continue speaking when he’s interrupted by a sneeze. He sniffles and Steve rolls his eyes. “I have allergies, Stevie. There’s nothing to be allergic to in New York.”

Steve shrugs. “Okay.”

Bucky frowns before turning to Tony. “So . . . what’re talking about?”

“The trials, and how suspicious they are,” Tony answers in vague terms.

“Oh, you guys think so too,” Bucky says. “Personally, I believe that when we hit the last trial, shit’s gonna get even rougher.”

“You think?” Tony questions.

Bucky shrugs. “That’s what happens in the movies!”

Iron Man rolls his eyes. “This isn’t the movies, Bucky; it’s real life.”

Bucky snorts. “Doesn’t matter. We both know that shit happens whether it’s reality or fantasy. Hey, back me up Ste—” he cuts himself off as a puzzled look crosses his features.

Tony follows Bucky’s gaze to his left and notices that Steve is no longer standing next to him. A confused look falls over his features. “Honey?” he questions in a concerned tone.

“I’m over here,” Steve calls from a distance away. “I think I found something.”

Tony and Bucky exchange a curious glance before walking in the direction that Steve’s voice came from. They find the Captain moments later in a small clearing, kneeling in front of a large rock.

“What are you doing all the way over here?” Tony asks as he moves to stand next to Steve’s right.

The blond looks up at Tony and answers, “I heard a rustling noise and when I went to investigate, I saw something glinting in the dirt.” He gestures to the glistening patch that’s barely peeking out from underneath the dirt.

“You think it could be the grail?” Tony asks.

Steve shrugs. “I could be. I have a good feeling about this.”

“Well dig it up, old man!” Bucky exclaims.

An offended look crosses Steve’s features as he turns to look at his friend standing on his left. “You’re older than me so, you have no right.”

“Oh, who cares, we’re both old! Now dig!” Bucky responds with impatient enthusiasm.

Steve rolls his eyes, and begins pushing away the dirt with his hands. A minute later, the object is uncovered, and Bucky bursts into laughter.

“A watch—it’s a fucking watch,” he exclaims. “Oh, look at me, I’m Steven Rogers and I’m the watch whisperer. I’m fucking done!”

Steve huffs and brushes the dirt off the watch, revealing the golden strap, golden face, and diamond incrusted numbers.

Tony raises an eyebrow and gently takes the watch from Steve. He carefully turns the watch over and inspects it. “Dude this is a Rolex . . . and one that is in damn good condition too.”

“What?”

“I want it!”

Steve scoffs. “Well, you can’t have it—you laughed at me.” The blond takes the watch back from Tony and secures it around his left wrist before giving Bucky a triumphant look.

The brunet gives his best pouty face.

“That face won’t work on me, Barnes. I am the one who taught you how to do it.” Steve stands from his kneeling position, and glances between Bucky and Tony. “Now, let’s keep moving. This forest isn’t going to comb itself,” he says before walking back towards the original path.

Bucky scowls.

Tony places a comforting hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “Failure happens to the best of us,” he says before closing his faceplate. He walks in the same direction that Steve went, listening to the sound of Bucky reluctantly following.

**

The three men have been searching the forest for over an hour and have little results to show. JARVIS has been scanning continuously and has only found expensive jewelry that Bucky claims he is going to pawn when they get back to The States.

The billionaire sighs and turns to Bucky. “Find anything?”

“Just this gold wedding ring,” Bucky responds absently before blowing the dirt and dust off the piece of jewelry. “How much do you think I can get for this?”

“Not much. There’s a huge crack in the side,” Steve answers.

Bucky furrows his brow and inspects the ring before finding the crack in question. The brunet huffs and tosses the ring aside, hearing it land in the dirt some distance away. He wipes his hands off and stands before stretching.

“Any luck with JARVIS?” Steve asks curiously.

“He’s found nothing aside from the jewelry,” Tony responds in an exhausted tone.

“Where should we search now, O Captain, my Captain?” Bucky asks.

Steve frowns and says, “We should probably split up for a while. We’ll be able to cover more ground that way.”

“Sweet, I’m going to look over there,” Bucky says pointing to the left.

“Don’t go too far. We have to stay in range of the comms,” Steve warns.

Bucky sighs and rolls his eyes dramatically. “Okay mom,” he says in a mocking tone before walking up the path to begin his own search.

Tony snorts. “Does that make me dad?” he says with a smirk that no one can see.

“Honey, don’t encourage him,” Steve responds, watching as Bucky tries to stealthily approach a squirrel only for the animal to become startled and flee in fear.

Tony watches Bucky huff before returning to the pair, defeated. “Aw, but babe, look at how miserable he is.”

The blond rolls his eyes in faux irritation. “You two are terrible together. I’m going to look over there,” he says before walking away.

“Kay, let us know if you find any more watches,” Bucky responds.

The Captain turns his head and glares at his friend. “I’m going to hurt you.”

Bucky snorts at Steve’s idle threat. “Ohhh, I’m _so_ afraid of the great Captain America. What _ever_ will I do when he unleashes his wrath,” he teases with a smile.

Tony shakes his head before turning away from the other men and walking away to begin his individual hunt for the chalice.

**

Bucky groans in frustration from a place on Tony’s left and the brunet can’t help but echo his torment. The three Avengers have been searching through the dense forest for almost two hours with no luck in finding the grail. The billionaire sighs to himself, wondering if their efforts are for nothing. Steve was right—the damn grail probably doesn’t exist and the Avengers are just wasting their time.

A deep sigh comes from Tony’s right, signaling that Steve isn’t having any luck either. He hears the brush rustling until he sees Cap appear out of the corner of his vision. The brunet turns his body to face the other man, who comes to a stop in front of him.

“Anything?” Steve asks in a hopeful tone.

“Zero,” Tony sighs. “I’m starting to think that we’re being mocked.”

“Sounds like conspiracy to me,” Steve jokes.

Tony snorts. “A Shield conspiracy? Actually, I wouldn’t put it past Fury to actually arrange something like that.”

Steve chuckles. He opens his mouth to respond, and is cut off by a joyous cry of, “OH MY GOD, I FUCKING FOUND IT!” The blond and brunet exchange a hopeful glance before making their way in the direction of the screams.

The two Avengers find the source of the noise a few minutes later. Bucky’s crouching on the ground and staring wide eyed at the chalice in his hand, which is made of a shiny, gold material with alternating blue and red gems placed around the mouth. The brunet tears his gaze from the cup and grins at the two men standing in front of him. “I fucking found it,” he whispers in disbelief.

“JARVIS,” Tony says.

_“Scanning,”_ the A.I. responds.

Barely a minute later, the results come in and Tony rolls his eyes from behind his faceplate. “That’s not the grail, Bucky; it’s just a fancy cup.”

Bucky scoffs and glares at the offending object before casually tossing it behind him. He smiles in satisfaction when the cup shatters against the tree. He rises from his crouching position and walks away from the two men.

Tony turns to Steve and says, “Should we follow him?”

The Captain thinks for a moment. “Nah, it’s best to let him get is frustration out now. Otherwise, he’ll be even more of a terror later on.”

“Hm, understandable. Rhodey’s the exact same way,” Tony responds. He looks around the area before pointing in the opposite direction that Bucky went. “You wanna check over there?”

Steve shrugs. “Sure,” he says before leading the way through the brush.

**

Another hour passes before it’s time to head back to the clearing. Since they went in opposite directions, it takes Steve and Tony forty-five minutes to find Bucky and another fifteen to convince him to give up the search. Due to these delays, they return to the Quinjet almost an hour and a half later than the original meeting time. In the clearing, they find the other four Avengers sitting against a fallen log near the jet waiting patiently for them—well, everyone except Clint.

“It took you long enough,” the archer greets impatiently from his perch on top of the log.

Bucky shrugs. “We got lost because _someone_ doesn’t know how to navigate.”

Steve scoffs. “Speak for yourself.”

“So, did you guys find anything?” Tony asks as he lifts up the faceplate.

Clint snorts. “Of course not. Bruce, how about you?”

“Nothing,” Bruce responds. “It’s almost as if the grail doesn’t want to be found.”

“In my travels, I have heard legends of objects that only reveal themselves to those who are worthy,” Thor speaks.

“I guess none of us are going to find it then,” Clint complains.

Natasha shakes her head in disappointment.

_“Sir, I have completed the scan of Shield’s servers. Would you like to see the results now?”_

“Please.” Tony’s faceplate flips downward and the suit comes back online. Several windows immediately pop up in the genius’s field of vision. He quickly scans the words, his brow furrowing with each new detail.

“Everything okay, Ton,” Steve asks concerned. Even when the brunet’s face is covered, he can still tell when something is amiss.

“Yes and no. JARVIS just finished the scan of the Shield database,” Tony announces.

“And?” Clint asks eagerly as he hops off the log.

“It turns out whoever hacked the system came from some town in the Middle of the Midwest—ha, say that five times fast— called Holdrege,” Tony informs the team.

“Wait, Holdrege? As in Holdrege, Nebraska?” Steve says with a surprised tone.

“Yeah. Why, what’s up?” Tony asks, concerned.

“When I was invading the Hydra Headquarters during the war, I saw a map that showed the Hydra bases located around the world. Holdrege stuck out because I have a cousin who lives there.”

“You mean to tell me that this town in the middle of the fucking United States that no one _has ever heard of_ is linked to one of the most powerful and villainous organizations in the world?” Clint asks, trying to clarify the information just given.

“Pretty much,” Steve responds.

“Oh shit, we’re doomed,” Clint says before Natasha hits him in the arm.

“We’re not doomed, you fool,” she says in a scathing tone before turning to Steve. “Right Cap?”

“Right . . .” Cap responds. “We’ll just have to be—”

“Captain, something is rapidly approaching our position!” Thor warns in a worried tone, looking at something in the distance.

The other Avengers follow the man’s gaze and see a large, military type missile rapidly descending towards them.

“Holy fuck!” Clint exclaims taking a few steps backwards.

“Not again,” Tony remarks in disbelief, staring at the missile with widened eyes.

“ _Shit!_ Watch out!” Cap yells.

Thor rushes to Clint’s side, grabbing the archer around the waist before swinging his hammer and taking to the air. Bruce transforms into the Hulk and sprints from the area grabbing Steve and Bucky on his way.

Tony shakes his head, trying to clear his mind of all thoughts and starts up his jet boots. He flies low to the ground before grasping Natasha’s outstretched hand and raising them both into the sky.

The missile strikes down on the clearing destroying the Quinjet and causing a massive explosion. The shockwave pushes Tony off balance, which causes Natasha to be ripped from his grip, and sent plummeting towards the earth.

The billionaire quickly regains his balance and kicks his boosters into hard drive, speeding towards the female assassin, who’s trying to get her flailing limbs into a position that will cause her less damage. When Tony finally reaches her, he grabs the woman tightly around her waist and flies away from the explosion.

Natasha wounds her arms around Tony’s neck, feeling the cold metal seep through her clothing. She stares at the massive destruction behind them, with a look of complete horror.

**

Tony lands a few miles away from the original clearing and sets Natasha on her feet, watching as the woman immediately leans on a nearby oak tree for support. Tony lifts his faceplate, feeling his heart hurting at the sight of the normally collected assassin showing absolute fear on her face. The billionaire’s mind is whirling with words that wish to be spoken, but forces himself to remain silent to give both Natasha and himself time to recover.

Moments later, Natasha takes a deep breath and schools her features, returning to her usual collected look. She pushes herself from the tree and stands directly in front of Tony. “I am indebted to you,” she says quietly.

Tony gives her a small smile, hearing the unspoken “thank you” in her voice. “You’re an avenger,” he says simply. The genius has come to care about Natasha, just as he cares about the rest of the team, and he doesn’t want to see any harm come to her despite their uneasy past. Tony’s hoping that she was able to get that from his tone, and based on her grateful look, she does.

“. . . Can . . . hear me?” a voice says over the comms.

Natasha immediately places her right hand to her ear and says, “This is Black Widow. I’m with Iron Man. Who is this? I can barely hear you.”

“It’s . . . with Th— . . . hello?”

“It sounds like Clint. He’s trying to reach us, but I can’t hear him,” Natasha says. “Can you try?”

Tony places two fingers against his helmet and taps it three times. “Hawkeye or anyone, can you hear me?” His words are met with silence. _“Shit.”_ He closes the faceplate and the suit comes online again. “JARVIS, scan the area for the other Avengers.”

_“Scanning . . .”_ the AI is silent for a few moments before saying, _“There are two heat signatures located four miles west of your location, and three heat signatures located twelve miles south- east of your location.”_

“Thanks JAR,” Tony says. To Natasha, he announces, “Thor and Hawkeye aren’t too far from our current location. Cap, Bucky, and Hulk appear to be in the city of Winchester itself.”

Natasha nods her head, listening to the sounds of jets scrambling overhead, most likely meaning that the United Kingdom military may be making an appearance. “Then, we better get going.”

**

Iron Man and Black Widow quickly leave the area and fly to the location west of their position to find Thor and Clint. Widow spots Thor first, seeing the God laying on the ground with a trail of raised dirt behind him showing that he previously slid on the terrain before coming to a stop. She doesn’t see Clint in the immediate area.

Tony sets Natasha on the ground and searches for Clint before finding the archer clinging to a large pine tree with a shocked look on his face. After speaking with Clint for a few moments, Tony talks him out the tree and carries him to the ground where they see Natasha kneeling next to Thor and trying to wake the other man. The two men quickly join her and look down at their fallen comrade.

“He’s breathing, but he won’t wake up. I’ve tried everything,” Natasha says. Her face and voice is calm, but her eyes are shouting her worry for the other man.

The brunet thinks for a moment before punching Thor in the gut, watching the man startle awake, and launch into a sitting position. Thor looks around with wild eyes, disconnected with reality.

“Whoa! Thor! Hey, buddy, it’s us,” Tony says what he’s hoping is a calming tone.

Thor quickly turns his head and glances over Tony’s form before slowly coming back to himself. He then looks at both Clint and Natasha before allowing himself to relax. “My friends, are you injured?”

“Widow and I are both okay, but what happened to you?” Tony asks, concerned.

“The explosion knocked us out of the sky and sent us hurtling towards the ground. Thor tossed me into the trees and took the brunt of the fall himself,” Clint explains with a grateful look on his face. “Thank you.”

“It is my pleasure,” Thor responds. He slowly rises to his feet and holds out his right arm. Seconds later, Mjolnir appears in all her glory and flies into Thor’s hand. The blond tightens his grip on the hammer and lowers his arm to his side.

Clint rises to his feet as well. “Where are the others?”

“They’re in Winchester. Hulk must have taken them there,” Tony answers as he and Natasha rise to their feet.

“Shall we join them?” Thor inquires.

“Of course. Comms are down though, so we’ll have to find them the old fashioned way,” Tony responds.

“With JARVIS?” Clint asks.

“Always,” Tony says with a smirk. Natasha walks over to him and he lifts her into his arms. “Keep an eye on our six?” he asks, watching as Thor easily supports Clint’s weight with one arm.

“On it,” Widow responds, tightening her grip around Tony’s neck.

The billionaire looks to Thor. The two exchange a nod before taking to the sky and heading for Winchester.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait until tomorrow morning to post this, but then I thought: you know, I have one more chapter until my AO3 is caught up with ff.net, why don't I go ahead and post the next bit now. So, I did. lol. Enjoy! :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers

The flight to Winchester turns out to be a short one, only taking around ten minutes. Tony has JARVIS scanning the area continuously for the other three Avengers, but coming up with nothing. The brunet bites on his bottom lip, feeling a gnawing worry chewing away inside him.

Not being connected to the entire Avengers—to Steve—is starting to take a toll on him and causing his mind to image horrifying scenarios that he doesn’t want to consider possible. The Avengers haven’t been apart since Fury forced the team to live together all those months ago and it feels odd not having everyone together. Not the good kind of odd either—the bad kind where you feel like a part of you is missing.

Even though Tony doesn’t believe in a God, he’s hoping that someone is watching out for Steve, Bucky, and Hulk.

“Guys, look!” Clint calls pointing at something in the distance.

The city of Winchester lies ahead with thick, dark smoke rising from the skyline and large flames swallowing the buildings and the surrounding brush. The four Avengers watch in horror as the largest structure, a cathedral, falls into itself and collapses into the flames right before their eyes.

“Do you think—?” Clint begins before cutting himself off.

Everyone immediately knows what he’s thinking.

Moments later, the foursome land amongst the ruins of the city, looking on in silent terror at the amount of destruction surrounding them.

“Search for survivors,” Tony commands JARVIS as the A.I. immediately begins a scan. He slowly walks ahead of the others, seeing if he can find any clues as to what happened as well as for people. The sinking feeling in Tony’s gut won’t subside. He takes a deep breath to try to calm himself down. Having an anxiety attack won’t help him find the others any faster.

The billionaire hears the sound of choking a few feet from him on his right. The brunet rushes to the rubble and hauls it out of the way, revealing Cap’s shield underneath the massive rocks. Panicked, Tony carefully raises the shield from the destruction, uncovering the exhausted form of Bucky Barnes below.

Bucky grins at Tony through his coughing. He climbs out of the rubble before falling on the ground and rolling onto his back.

Tony lifts his faceplate and yells, “Guys! I found Bucky!” He sets the shield down, kneels next to the man, and glances over his form not seeing an immediate injuries. Tony shakes his head and says, “Bucky, you lucky bastard.”

Bucky snorts before erupting into a series of coughs. “That’s what they used to call me . . . in school . . . Lucky Bucky. Ha-ha.”

Thor, Natasha, and Clint arrive and kneel near Bucky, glancing over the man with both concerned and worried expressions. Bucky lifts his hand in a nonchalant gesture before slowly lifting himself into a sitting position and sliding over so he can lean his weight against Thor, knowing that the God wouldn’t mind.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Natasha asks.

“And why do you have Cap’s shield?” Clint asks curiously, as he picks up the iconic object and gives it a look over.

“I’m actually doing okay despite the fact that a huge ass building fell on me,” Bucky says casually before scrunching his face. “I think it was the cathedral . . .” he shrugs.

“As for what happened, I’m not exactly sure. After Hulk grabbed Steve and me, he kept running until he was sure we were safe. Steve suggested that we head to the city, and try to call for backup. When we got here, the city was already under attack. We never saw what did it, but whatever it was, must have attacked at the same time we were hit.”

Bucky coughs and slightly shifts into a more comfortable position against Thor before gesturing towards the shield. “I think he threw that at me; it explains why my brain isn’t crushed.” He tries to shrug nonchalantly and ends up grimacing in pain.

“And where are Steve and Hulk now?” Tony asks.

“No idea,” Bucky answers in a grim tone. “We spilt up to help evacuate the city. I think I saw a flash of blue running south, but I can’t recall. Then, the cathedral fell on me . . . and now I’m talking with you guys.”

_“Shit,”_ Tony says under his breath.

“We’re still down two Avengers,” Clint says before biting his lip.

“What do we do?” Natasha asks, directing her question at Tony.

“Let’s begin by heading south,” the billionaire responds as he, Nat, and Clint rise to their feet. He looks to Bucky and says, “Can you stand?”

Bucky thinks for a moment. “I might be able too, but I don’t know if I can walk.”

Thor attaches Mjolnir to his belt. He slowly helps the man into a standing position. Bucky hisses at placing weight on his left ankle, but otherwise he can keep himself upright. Thor lets go of the American before turning around and crouching in front of him. Bucky carefully eases his way onto Thor’s back and the latter rises into a standing position, slowly adjusting the man onto his back.

Bucky wraps his arms around Thor’s neck and relaxes his muscles. “You know for a muscly guy, you’re pretty comfy.”

_Just like Steve._ Tony bites his lip and then sighs to himself, trying to shake off his worry. He needs to stay focused. For the team. 

The archer looks down at the shield in his hands before handing the object to Natasha. Everyone knows that ordinarily Clint would carry the shield himself, but he needs his arms free for archery. Plus, the team know he worries the most about Nat and wants to make sure she stays safe. If the archer can give her a little extra protection, then he will.

“So . . . what exactly is south of here?” Clint asks curiously.

“I think there’s a river not far outside of the city,” Natasha responds, as she straps the shield to her back. She turns to Tony. “Do you think they might have headed that way?”

“It’s a start,” Tony responds, helplessly.

“Well, what are we waiting for,” Bucky says, with pain laced in his voice. “Let’s go find Steve and Hulk.”

**

The group of five begins their trek south, with Natasha leading the way. Tony is walking behind the assassin, followed by Thor, and Hawkeye bringing up the rear. They carefully navigate through layers of rock, rubble, and settling dust. Thor has to be especially careful seeing as he has the added weight of Bucky and doesn’t want to jostle the man too much for fear of causing more damage.

JARVIS continues to scan, picking up no signs of life in the immediate area aside from the team, which worries Tony greatly. There’s supposed to be over forty-four thousand people in the city, yet he’s seeing no one. Hopefully, no people means that everyone was evacuated in time.

Natasha pauses in her careful stride and Tony almost runs into her. The assassin scans the area as if she’s sensing something.

“Do you see anything?” Clint asks curiously.

Natasha shushes him harshly before falling silent. A few moments later, she says, “I thought I heard a baby crying.”

“Where?” Tony asks curiously.

Natasha points to the right. “Somewhere in that direction.”

“JARVIS?” Tony asks.

_“Scanning,”_ the A.I. responds. Moments later, a thermal popup screen appears in Tony’s line of sight and displays a cluster of red signatures in a room that is buried underneath rubble of what appears to be a house.

“They’re under that red bricked area,” Tony announces.

The team makes their way over to the fallen structure, paying careful mind to the debris surrounding them.

Tony moves ahead of the group to stand directly in front of the fallen structure. “Can anyone hear me?” the brunet asks.

“Hello?” a voice filled with desperation filters through the cracks in the rubble. “Is someone there?”

“This is Iron Man and I’m here with three-fourths of the Avengers,” Tony responds. “We’re going to try and get you out, okay?”

“O-Okay,” the voice responds, now sounding hopeful.

“Is there anybody with you?” Tony asks.

“. . . Four adults, two children, one infant, and one dog,” the voice responds.

“Alright, sit tight,” Tony responds.

Thor gently sets Bucky down on the ground and makes sure the man is settled as comfortable as possible. The blond sets Mjolnir next to Bucky before turning and walking towards Tony. Thor stands next to his armor-clad friend and says, “Is there a way to remove the civilians from the debris without causing any more harm?”

“JARVIS?”

The AI wordlessly scans the area before displaying the results in a popup box in Tony’s field of vision.

“It looks like there’s a seventy percent chance of everything going smoothly,” Tony answers.

Thor nods. “Then, let us begin.”

“Nat, can you keep a look out?” Tony asks.

“Sure. It’ll give me a chance to see if Bucky has any serious injuries,” Natasha says before plopping down next to Bucky. She pokes him lightly in the ribs and shows her sympathy when the man hisses in pain.

Meanwhile, Thor, Tony, and Clint get started on carefully removing the rubble so they can rescue the trapped civilians. The three men alter between giving words of encouragement to the people. At one point, Clint beings singing a Russian lullaby that Natasha taught him to help calm down the children, who were beginning to let out terrified whimpers and cries. Nat joins in on the singing followed by Tony and Thor. Bucky makes an attempt to sing along, but the poor man is starting to have trouble breathing, and is barely able to get a few notes out.

**

After an hour, the rubble is finally removed. The victims consisting of a mother, a father, the mother’s brother and sister, the parents young children (a boy and two girls), and the family dog are rescued safely. The family rejoices hugging each other and each of their rescuers. The mother’s sister tugs at her ripped and dust covered clothing, but stops in favor of lifting the young boy into her arms and hugging her tightly.

The mother of the children, who was the person Tony spoke with previously, repeatedly thanked the Avengers for rescuing her family.

“Ma’am, it was no trouble at all,” Tony responds. “We’re happy to help.”

“Yes, of course,” the mother says. “I wish that I could give you lovely people a proper thank you, but . . .” she trails off, looking down at the destruction of her house with a hopeless expression.

One of the children, a young girl, tugs on her mother’s pant leg. “Mummy, where are we gonna live?”

The mother gives her child a heartbreaking look before picking the girl up and into her arms. “We’ll think of something, dear. I promise.”

_“Sir,”_ JARVIS says suddenly, nearly startling Tony. _“I have located a large clustering of heat signatures east of the city, exactly three miles from the outskirts.”_

“JARVIS found more survivors,” Tony announces to everyone.

“Is it a refugee camp?” Clint questions.

“I’m assuming,” Tony answers.

“Allow me to escort your family to safety,” Thor says to the mother.

“We would be delighted by your further assistance,” the mother says with a smile. “Thank you.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Thor responds. To Tony, he says, “Whilst you be remaining in the area?”

“Yeah, we’ll wait here until you return,” Tony responds.

“Excellent,” Thor says with a nod. He turns to the family and holds out his hand in the direction of the assumed camp. “Let us begin.”

The father smiles as he carefully leads the way from the destruction of the family’s house, with his dog loyally at his side. The mother (holding the young girl) walks behind him, followed by her brother (holding the infant girl), her sister (holding the young boy), and Thor bringing up the rear.

Clint watches his friend walk away from the area for a few moments before turning to Bucky. “So, how’s our wittle soldier doing?” the archer says in a higher pitched tone as if he’s talking to a child.

Bucky scowls. “Ha-ha. Very funny, asshole.”

“From what I can gather, he has four broken ribs, and a twisted ankle,” Natasha reports as she rises from the ground and stands next to Bucky. “He’ll still need to see a proper doctor, and he’ll be sore for at least three to four months.”

“That means you guys will have to take care of my every waking need,” Bucky says with a smirk.

“Uh, that’s why Tony has a talking house,” Clint responds.

“No, that’s what I have Pepper for,” Tony corrects. He opens his mouth to continue speaking when static begins cracking in the brunet’s ear. A confused looks befalls his features. “What?”

“What the hell is that sound?” Natasha asks irritated as she places her right hand against her ear.

“I think it’s the comms,” Clint responds uncertain. Like the other two, he is also fiddling with the device in his ear.

“He—Hello? He—” a barely audible voice says over the static.

It couldn’t be . . .

“Steve?” Tony asks, trying not to sound too hopeful.

“T—ony?”

A relieved smile crosses Tony’s features. “It’s Steve.”

“That’s who I thought it was,” Clint responds while wearing his own smile.

Bucky snorts and then winces. “It’s about time that weenie makes his reappearance.”

Natasha rolls her eyes at Bucky’s comment, failing to stop the grin that’s creeping onto her face.

“Steve, where are you?” Tony asks, concerned. “Is Hulk with you?”

“Hulk . . . here . . . don’t know . . . outside . . . maybe?”

“JARVIS, can you get a lock onto their signal?” Tony asks his AI.

_“I have already traced the signal eight miles south of Winchester near the River Itchen.”_

"They're eight miles outside of town,” Tony repeats to the present Avengers.

“How’d they get so far out?” Clint asks in a curious tone.

“They must have gotten lost after evacuating the citizens to a safe location,” Bucky pipes up. “At least, that’s what I’m assuming.”

“Steve, you and Hulk stay put. We’re coming to get you,” Tony says.

“Okay . . .”

“I wonder Thor got all of that,” Clint says.

Mjolnir launches herself from the ground and flies in the direction that Thor went to take the family to the refugee area.

The archer shrugs. “I stand corrected.”

“When Thor gets back, we’ll head over and rejoin with the others,” Natasha officially announces. To Tony, she says, “Out of curiosity, what are we going to do about the rest of the trial?”

Tony shrugs, even though the assassin can’t see the motion. “Our first priority is to get Bucky to a hospital and don’t give me that look, Barnes, you’re going.”

Bucky huffs.

“While whiny-baby is being taken care of, the rest of us can figure out what to do,” Tony continues. “A couple of us will probably come back here and try to look for the grail, while everyone else stays with Bucky.”

“Sounds fine with me,” Natasha responds. She smiles mischievously. “You know, you make a decent Cap away from Cap.”

Tony snorts. “After being around him for this long, you’re bound to pick up a few tips.”

Thor suddenly flies into focus and lands next to Tony. He reattaches Mjolnir to his belt before speaking. “My friends, our comrades are calling on us for aid.”

“And now that you’re back, we can head over to their location together,” Tony responds.

Thor nods his understanding. The blond walks over to Bucky, and slowly helps the man into a standing position. He carefully eases the severely injured man onto his back.

With everyone secured and in tow, the team quickly and carefully makes their way to the remaining Avengers locations.

**

The group have been walking to meet up with their comrades for roughly thirty minutes. Thor informs his teammates that the family had safely reached the refugee camp, and has been reunited with their friends and neighbors, much to the delight of the team.

Natasha officially fills Thor in on Bucky’s condition. The God praises the man for remaining strong and courageous despite the severity of his severity of his injuries. Bucky quickly brushes off the comments, but can’t help feeling a swell of pride at the God’s kind words.

Tony spots Steve and Hulk first, both men standing by the water’s edge with their backs to the other Avengers. “CAP!” he calls. The brunet watches Steve turn around, confused, before finally spotting everyone.

“Hey!” Steve calls with a joyous smile.

Hulk lets out a victorious roar, while the rest of the team join up with their missing comrades.

Tony pauses in his joyous stride as a tinge of worry seeps into his mind. He’s surprised that Hulk hasn’t let Bruce back into control yet seeing as the green man usually does after battle. There’s only one reason why the scientist isn’t panicking that he’s naked in public in this moment: _it’s not safe_. The brunet scans his brain trying to determine what variable he missed. There’s always a catch when it comes to magic, and he’s trying to figure out what it is.

Part of Tony wishes that Loki was around to explain the laws of magic to him. He furrows his brow and suppresses a shiver. That was a weird thought and he hopes he never has another one like that again.

“Tony?”

At the sound of his name, the billionaire comes out of his thoughts. He continues his stride towards Steve until he’s standing directly in front of the blond. Tony lifts his faceplate and immediately connects their mouths together. He smiles inwardly when he feels Steve press back enthusiastically.

The pair part after a few moments. Tony looks up at Steve with a wide smile on his face, finally feeling like he’s whole again.

Steve matches Tony’s smile with one of his own and presses their foreheads together. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Tony responds.

Steve’s smile widens. He nudges Tony’s armored covered hand with his gloved one before placing their fingers together.

Tony looks down fondly at their joined hands and snorts. “You’re still wearing that stupid watch?”

“So, I could count the minutes until I was able to see you again,” Steve responds with a crooked smile.

Tony smiles brightly. He leans forward, and kisses Steve hard on the lips.

Clint makes a vomiting noise in the background. “Are you two going to be disgustingly . . . _you_ for the rest of the trial?”

Tony pulls away from Steve and says, “You can count on it, birdbrain.”

“Oh, Cap, I have something for you,” Natasha responds as she shrugs the man’s shield off her back.

Steve steps away from Tony for a moment and takes his shield back from Natasha with a grateful thank you. He secures the shield to his left arm and looks at each of the Avengers. When he notices Bucky, he grimaces. “Bucky, you look like hell.”

Bucky snorts and then winces. “You don’t look any better yourself, sunshine.”

The blond cracks a smile before frowning. “Is he going to be . . . ?”

“He’ll live, but he still needs to go to the hospital,” Tony responds.

Bucky groans.

“I know you don’t like hospitals, Buck,” Steve says in a mothering tone. “But, you’re going to the doctor.”

Bucky sticks his tongue out and Steve frowns again.

“Alright, so we’re all together again, which is great and all but what are we going to do now?” Clint asks, addressing his concerns to anyone on the team. “I mean, we have no Grail, we’re exhausted, and our ride is toast.”

“Has anyone been able to get in contact with Fury?” Steve asks curiously.

“I’ve been trying, but I haven’t been able to get a signal through,” Tony answers, feeling helpless. “JARVIS is working on it, but with no luck. Maybe Fury will realize something isn’t right and come looking for us.”

Hopefully.

“And in the meantime?” Steve asks.

“The first thing we need to do is head to London. There we can get Bucky to a hospital and try to get in contact with Fury. And if he’s no help, then I can call Pepper and see if I can arrange for a private flight back to New York,” Tony suggests.

“Good idea,” Steve agrees.

“How would we transport everyone though?” Clint asks. “I mean, Hulk can’t carry everyone.”

Hulk makes a noise of disagreement, offended that Clint would doubt his strength.

“Plus, Bucky shouldn’t be moved too much more, especially since he hasn’t had proper exam,” Natasha adds.

“Captain, I would not mind remaining in the area with Bucky until your return,” Thor announces.

“No,” Steve responds sternly. “We go together or not at all. No one gets left behind.”

Tony exchanges at quick glance with Bucky. Both men can hear the silent “not again” at the end of Steve’s sentence.

“Uh, guys,” Clint begins in a worried tone. “We have company.”

A large shadow falls over the land. The team looks to the sky and sees a ship slightly larger than the Helicarrier hovering above them. Tony flips down his faceplate as the bottom of the ship opens and hundreds of soldiers descend to the ground via ropes, each one heavily armored.

“What the hell is going on?” Clint asks worriedly as he loads an arrow into his bow.

“No idea,” Natasha responds. She pulls her gun out of the holster and checks the ammo. “But, it’s going to be nothing good."

Another figure emerges from the bottom of the ship on what appears to be a hovercraft scooter. The device emits a soft humming noise as it hovers above the soldiers, who are now lined in clean rows that span from the river to the edge of the forest.

Tony clenches his jaw. He should have known that Red Skull was going to show up at some point. The villain is probably hoping to steal the grail or harm the Avengers. Unfortunately, for him, the team doesn’t have the grail and like hell they’re going to be defeated by Skull.

The Skull looks between Cap and Bucky with a huge smirk on his face. “Hello boys. Did you miss me?”

“We should have known you would be here,” Bucky responds bitterly. He adjusts himself on Thor’s back so he sits up higher despite the amount of pain he is in currently.

“Oh, big words coming from someone as incapacitated as yourself,” Skull responds with faux sympathy.

“Was there a purpose to this destruction?” Steve asks in an eerily calm tone. The blond only speaks in this manner when he is absolutely seething with rage and is barely restraining himself.

Skull shrugs nonchalantly. “They wouldn’t give me what I want. I couldn’t let them live after blatantly refusing my request for information,” he responds casually as if he didn’t just ruin thousands of lives and destroy years of history and culture.

“These people didn’t have to die,” Cap responds with a trembling voice. He clenches his fist tightly.

“Well . . . it appears like you have more deaths on your conscious now, Captain,” Skull declares with a menacing smirk.

Tony watches Steve gulp and clench his fist tighter. The man is trembling with anger with glaring eyes focused and set ablaze. Tony hasn’t seen Cap this angry since Red Skull first appeared on the Helicarrier all those months ago. The brunet gulps. He knows that the blond is one wrong comment away from snapping again.

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Steve retorts in a low, dangerous tone.

“Oh? Do you think you can stop me?” Skull replies with a laugh. A resonating roar of agreement emerges from the foot soldiers standing beneath their leader.

Steve smirks. “Not me . . . _we_. The Avengers will stop you—as a team.”

“Oh how marvelous!” Skull exclaims in faux enthusiasm before shrugging. “It’s a shame that you’re all going to die.” He bares his teeth and snarls, _“Get them!”_

A thunderous battle cry emerges from the soldiers as they begin their charge.

“Avengers,” Cap begins, his tone laced with determination. “Assemble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter is kinda eh, but I don't really know. :/ 
> 
> Please, let me know what you thought!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This chapter is out later than expected, but no big, because it’s done now! I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Warning: description of a panic attack

“Thor, get Bucky to safety! Hawkeye, stay with him and provide cover if you can,” Cap calls.

“On it,” Hawkeye responds. He and Thor quickly leave the area to find a safe spot for Bucky.

“Cap, do you think we’ll be okay without the comms?” Tony asks, feeling worried.

“We’ll figure it out,” Cap responds in a neutral tone.

Tony hates that tone. He feels as though Cap is dismissing his concern because Skull is the only thing on his mind.

The billionaire looks away from Cap, and glares at the villain from behind his faceplate. He hates Skull, but more importantly, he hates what the man does to Steve. The villain brings Steve back to his time, causing him to remember the anguish and the pain he suffered. After the Skull’s first appearance, Steve awoke every night for a week screaming Bucky’s name. He never wants to watch someone he cares for relive that kind of horror again.

“Cap, what’s the plan?” Natasha asks cautiously.

“Clear out as many of the soldiers as we can,” Cap responds. “If we can get Skull to come down from his pedestal, I can take him out.”

Tony sucks in a breath. He knew that Cap was eventually going to go after Skull on his own, but he didn’t think the blond would _actually_ announce it. Part of Tony wishes that the blond would realize that he doesn’t have to do this alone, but then again, the other part knows that he has a personal score to settle. While the brunet doesn’t want to interfere, he knows that he’s going to have to keep a close eye on Cap to make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless.

Hulk roars, and charges for the enemy soldiers. Cap and Natasha follow the man’s lead and quickly find themselves engaged in battle.

Mjolnir flies by Tony’s head and takes out several soliders. Thor moves to stand next to Tony, holding out his hand and calling his hammer back to him. The mystical object flies back to Thor and the God encloses the handle between his fist. “What is the plan of attack?”

“The plan _is_ to attack,” Tony responds as he surveys the scene. He glances at the Skull hovering above, feeling a burst of anger surge through him. “Do you think you can hit Skull with lightning?”

“Are you underestimating my abilities, Man of Iron?” Thor responds with a small grin. He raises Mjolnir to the sky, watching storm clouds appear overhead. The blond aims his hammer for the villain and a deadly bolt of lightning descends from the heavens, only to strike a bubble around the villain that was previously unseen.

Thor lowers his hammer in confusion before turning to the man standing next to him. “Is it some kind of force field?”

“Looks like it,” Tony responds. “I’ll have JARVIS analyze it and see if we can break through.”

Skull laughs whole-heartedly at the failed attack. “Did you really think I was going to make it so easy? How pathetic do you think I am?”

It takes all of Tony’s self-restraint and a knowing glance with Thor to prevent him from answering that question.

“What do we do?”

Thor shrugs. “We our comrades in battle.”

“Yeah, let’s,” Tony responds before he and Thor take to the skies.

**

The Avengers have been fighting against Red Skull for what feels like hours. At some point, Skull began firing consecutive laser attacks from the headlights on his hover scooter, with the purpose of preventing Thor and Tony from being airborne for too long. The forcibly grounded Avengers occasionally try to break the force field around Skull with no luck. It doesn’t help that JARVIS hasn’t found a way to disarm the villain’s shield either.

Tony sighs as he knocks away two more enemy soldiers with his gauntlets. The brunet knows he’ll eventually figure out how to disable to force field—it’s just a real annoyance to deal with especially since Skull is _right fucking there_ and the team can’t do anything about it at the moment.

Out of the corner of his vision, Tony sees Cap being surrounded by enemy soldiers. The brunet blasts away the enemies near him before taking to the skies. He dodges the Skull’s constant laser attacks, and pulls the Captain out of the center of a sea of soldiers.

“What the hell are you doing?” Steve shouts to the other man.

“Helping your ass,” Tony responds. He flies to a less populated area near the main battleground. Tony releases Cap, watching as the man immediately engages the lingering enemy soldiers. The brunet lands, and helps Cap take out the rest.

After the stragglers are no longer an issue, Tony turns to talk with Cap only to see a deep frown on the other man’s face. The genius sighs to himself waiting for the other man to list the reasons as to how he fucked up this time.

“Are you out of your mind? You could’ve been killed,” Steve begins in a hushed tone.

“Oh, well, _excuse_ me for trying to help out my _teammate_.” Tony winces. He didn’t mean for that to come out so sarcastic and rude. 

“What the hell has gotten into you?”

“Me? What has gotten into _you_? Suddenly, Skull shows up and it’s “Oh, I’m Captain America. Let me prance around and show off my prowess by doing everything by myself.””

“You got a lot of nerve questioning my character, Stark.”

“So, we’re back to last names now, _Rogers_?”

“Will you two cut it out? You sound like an old married couple!” Widow says as she delivers a roundhouse kick to the head of the enemy in front of her. “Wait a minute; I can actually hear you two!”

“Our Shield brothers must have fixed our communication devices,” Thor adds. “This will make our fight much easier.”

“Look around, okay?” Tony blurts, causing Cap’s attention to return to him. “We’re a team. That means we’re _all_ here for you—every last Avenger. Hell, even Loki is on your side.”

Tony feels a surge of pride when the blond gives a small smile at his comment. He sighs before placing an armor-covered hand on Cap’s shoulder. “You may have had to do it alone before, but you don’t have to now.”

Cap hesitates for a few moments before sighing. “Tones,” he begins in an apologetic tone.

“Hey, it’s cool,” Tony says, patting the other man’s shoulder. “I get where you’re coming from, I do. But, we have your back, Cap.”

Cap gives Tony a fond smile. “Where would I be without you?”

The brunet shrugs, leaving the question unanswered. He doesn’t want to have to admit that the first words that went through his mind were _“probably dead.”_

“OH MY GOD! I found it! I found the Holy Grail!” Hawkeye screams over the comms in delight. “Oh _shit_ , where did it go?”

Tony rolls his eyes. Of course, the archer would lose the damn thing as soon as he found it. The man nudges Cap in the arm. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

Iron Man fires up his jet boots and takes off, without waiting for a response. He flies back into the battle, knocking over soldiers with his gauntlets. The brunet lands, and fires a repulsor blast to his right, clearing a path for the Widow to escape from the soldiers surrounding her.

“Thanks for the assist, Stark,” she chirps over the coms. “Keep an eye on your six.”

Tony turns to deal with the men trying to sneak up on him when Cap’s shield flies by, striking both men in the head for an instant knock out. The brunet nods in Cap’s direction, watching the man effortlessly catch his shield and return to the battle.

The brunet fires another repulsor blast into the crowd, and sighs when the gap he made quickly refills. He sighs. “Fucking Hydra. Whenever we take out one soldier, a gagillion more take its place.”

“Is ‘gagillion’ even a word?” Hawkeye asks.

“It is in The Official Tony Stark Dictionary.”

Widow sighs as she as takes down another three men. “You know what we need?”

“French fries?” Hawkeye offers.

“What? No. We need something big to take these guys out . . . like a bomb or something.” Widow dodges an attack. “Stark, can you make a bomb?”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “Are you asking, or ordering?”

“Both.”

“Yes, I can, but—” Tony cuts himself off as he blocks an attack before knocking the soldier to the ground. “It will be hard to make an attempt under these circumstances.”

“Then, what are we going to do?” Hawkeye asks, with a sliver of worry in his tone.

The sound of Quinjets rapidly approaching the area is heard. Twin laser beams descend from the skies before causing a massive explosion that nearly wipes out over half of the Hydra soldiers.

Widow hums to herself. “That’ll work.”

“Sorry, it took so long,” a new voice, announces over the comms. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to track Stark Tech when it doesn’t want to be found?”

Fucking Coulson.

“It’s a damn good thing you had uploaded JARVIS to our servers,” Coulson continues. “He’s the one who helped us find you.”

Tony sighs, failing to stop the smile that’s spreading across his features. “Thanks, JARVIS.”

_“It is my upmost pleasure.”_

“Fury sends his love,” Agent Hill pipes up as her jet hovers next to Coulson. “Well, he didn’t put it in those exact words, but I think you get the idea.”

“Aw, Fury really does care,” Tony says.

Hawkeye snorts.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s finish this,” Coulson says. He and Hill unleash a combo attack that obliterates another large chunk of the enemy soldiers. Their joint attack springs the Avengers into action, and the team resumes their battle.

Skull scowls as he watches his army rapidly deplete with the arrival of Shield Agents. He releases a frustrated sigh before banging his hand against the hovercraft scooter. “What the hell is wrong with you people? I am not paying you to fuck everything up! I do not want another Dennis, _do you hear me?_ ”

Dennis? That name sounds familiar. “As in Dennis Smith?” He says, directing his question to the villain.

“Dennis Smith,” Skull repeats. He pauses before smirking. “Yes. He was a fine young lad. Absolute shit at undercover jobs, but a hard worker none the less.”

Tony bites his lip. He has a feeling he knows exactly where this is going.

“Man of Iron! What is the Skull referring to?” Thor asks.

“You didn’t know? Well, let me educate you,” Skull says. “Dennis Smith was a soldier, who worked for me. His job was to go undercover, find out who chased me out of Zima back in the seventies, and where they were located.” He smirks. “He led me right to you, Winter Soldier.”

“It was a lie,” Bucky says in a small voice.

“Buck . . .” Cap begins before trailing off.

The villain shrugs. “I have got to give you credit though; you almost caused me to abandon my current plans when you chased me out. Almost.”

“Bucky, don’t listen to him,” Cap responds over the comms. “He’s trying to mess with your head!”

“It was a lie,” Bucky repeats. “All of it.”

“Cap, I think he’s going into shock,” Hawkeye says over the comms.

“What else have I been lied to about,” Bucky says, sounding like he’s addressing his question to Clint. “Tell me!”

“Oh, what do I do?” the archer asks, in a desperate tone.

“Try and keep him calm,” Natasha responds.

“How?”

“He likes baseball,” Steve interjects. “Talk to him about that.”

“But, I don’t know anything about baseball,” Hawkeye responds.

“Make something up, then. He loves proving people wrong,” Cap says.

The pace of the battle increases after those words were spoken. Red Skull lets out a frustrated huff of breath at the incompetence of his army. “If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.” He hops down off his hovercraft scooter, landing a few yards away from Cap, noting that the man is oblivious to his presence.

Skull smirks before reaching down and picking up a discarded weapon. The red villain slowly walks towards the man, taking careful steps so he doesn’t alert the Captain of his presence. Skull raises the weapon into the air, and strikes the Captain in the back of the knees.

Cap lets out a startled shout, and falls to his knees.

“Cap?” Tony asks, concerned.

“I’m fine,” the blond reassures. “I’m fine.”

“You may be ‘fine’ now, but you won’t be for long.”

Cap quickly stands and whirls around, facing Red Skull. He smirks. “So, you finally decided to make your official appearance?”

“Yes” the villain responds. “I want to make sure that my soldiers don’t kill you . . . that’s my job.”

“You’re about to become unemployed,” Cap responds.

Skull raises his arm to hit Cap again, when the weapon is knocked out of his hand. Angered, the villain turns to his left, and sees Black Widow standing with a knife in her hand and unconscious bodies at her feet.

“Cap, you’re not doing this alone,” she says without taking her eyes off the villain. “Okay.”

Cap hesitates before ultimately nodding. “Okay.”

**

The battle continues with Agents Coulson and Hill proving they are two of the best things to happen to the Avengers right now. With their help, the Skull’s unnecessarily large army is almost completely eradicated. Since Cap and Natasha locked tight into battle with Skull, himself, it frees the skies open for Tony and Thor to take out the last few dozen men.

Iron Man fires a repulsor blast, watching as the attack blast away several soldiers. Through the faceplate, Tony can see Thor raising his hammer to finish off the last of the stragglers. Knowing the God is going to wait for him to land, Tony begins lowering himself to the ground, so he isn’t electrocuted like last time.

That was an interesting day.

_“Tony!"_

The desperate shout of his name is the last thing Tony hears before his armor is directly hit by a blast that he can’t see. The brunet screams as the armor constricts in on itself, causing the metal to dig into his skin. He feels a wet material sliding down his face, slipping into his mouth, and overwhelming his senses with the taste of iron. His shouts of agony continue as the armor’s creaks and groans barely register over the white noise in his ears.

The suit’s power begins flickering in and out, and Tony knows he’s going to be trapped within the metal with no escape if he doesn’t do something soon. He tries moving his arms so he can press the armor release button tucked away under his helmet, but the slightest movements cause large bursts of pain throughout his body.

“JARVIS? JARVIS, can you hear me?”

_“Sir, we’re . . . altitude—”_

A pang of fear explodes through Tony’s body. He’s losing altitude fast. His eyes scan the flickering screen in front of him as he digs into the vast depths of his mind, trying to think of a way to fix everything.

He can’t.

Tony can feel his breaths coming out in spurts now, his heart rate increasing rapidly. A cold sweat blooms over Tony’s skin, and he’s shaking—he can’t control it. He feels like he’s on fire and he’s covered in ice. No, water. Ice water. He’s being dipped into a tub of ice water. There’s men screaming around him—he can’t breathe. He’s drowning.

“No, no, no. Not now, not now.”

Tony takes a breath to try to clear his head, but to no avail. He knows he’s having a panic attack and one of the worst ones he’s had since the Battle of New York. Since, Steve came into his life. Since the portal, that _fucking_ portal in the sky. Since, the darkness surrounding him— _consuming_ him—

_He’s going to die._

He’s having a panic attack, and he’s going to die. He knows there is nothing he can do, and he’s going to die. He’s never going to see Steve again, and _he’s going **to die**_.

“JARVIS! JARVIS, _please_!” Tony calls desperately to his AI. He feels more wetness sliding down his face, clinging to his eyelashes and catching against his lips. He can’t tell if it’s tears or blood. “I don’t know what to do—I don’t—I don’t . . .”

_“Sir, I think . . . failing . . .”_

Tony’s eyes widen further as his labored breathing worsens. “No, no, no. JARVIS, no, buddy, you can’t leave me. Not now. Not now. Please not now.”

_“Sir, I—”_ are the last words Tony hears before everything goes black.

**

_“T—”_

_“To—”_

_“Tony!”_

Tony’s eyes flicker open and he groans. The only light in the suit is coming from the arc reactor. Tony breathes a sigh of relief that the damn thing is still working. He’s so glad that he upgraded the suit so it ran on power independently from the battery in his chest.

The genius’s eyes start to flicker close before he jerks, forcing his eyes to remain open. His foggy mind tries its best to gather its bearings, and it takes longer than it should have. He remembers fighting Red Skull. Hill and Coulson showed up to provide support. He was hit—he panicked—and now he’s regretfully awake.

The soreness hits Tony like a freight train and he groans, regretting the sound as it makes his body hurt even worse. He tries moving his arms and legs, but even the slightest of movements causes agonizing pain to shoot up from Tony’s limbs.

“J . . .” He begins in an attempt to speak, finding the task extremely difficult. Not only is the armor weighing heavily down on his chest, but he probably has a few broken ribs as well.

He tries again. “J . . . JAR . . .”

Tony winces as the pain finally registers, prickling against every muscle and bone in his body. He feels a headache forming rapidly and concludes that he may have a concussion.

The billionaire keeps hearing a voice calling his name in the distance, making his head throb even worse. He wishes that the voice would shut up and continue talking at the same time. The tone is familiar to Tony, but he can’t pin down exactly who it is; his mind is still too foggy for that level of thinking.

Tony opens his mouth to speak only to let out a horrible high-pitched croaking noise. He swallows and tries again. “Ste . . .”

_“Tony? Tony, can you hear me?”_ the voice calls again.

He hears the sound of his armor groaning, followed by the sound of swearing.

“I can’t get you out the armor!” the voice calls again desperately, beginning to sound louder with every passing minute. “I’ve been trying, and I can’t get you out of the armor! _Ебать!_ ”

Natasha?

The assassin pauses. “Agent Hill, that is not of importance right now. There are matters that are more urgent. I need Steve and Thor with me right now.”

Tony can’t hear Hill’s response, but he can feel the anger radiating off Natasha.

“I don't give a _shit_ about Fury, or his orders! Tony is _trapped in his fucking armor_. I need Steve and Thor to come and help me _right fucking now_ ,” Natasha screams—actually _screams_.

The shock of the normally collected assassin losing control for a second is exactly what Tony needed to jolt his mind out of the fog. Tony groans and he can almost hear Natasha whip her head towards him.

“Tony?” she asks curiously.

Two horrified exclamations come from somewhere on Tony’s left.

“Brother Stark!” Thor.

“Oh, God! Tony!” Steve.

“It’s about fucking time,” Natasha swears harshly, having no kind words to spare. “I found the armor release button, but it won’t work. He’s going to have to be pried out.”

Tony can feel the metal directly over his face groaning and he closes his eyes. He feels the material being ripped away, exposing his face to the sunlight, and the fresh breeze sweeping over the land. The brunet opens his eyes, seeing the worried faces of three of his teammates in his immediate field of vision. He tries cracking a smile, but it comes off as more of a grimace. “You guys,” he begins before taking a breath. “Look like shit.”

Natasha snorts while Thor and Steve both let out relieved chuckles.

Tony tries moving his limbs again, only to feel bursts of pain shooting through him. “What happened?”

Natasha, who is sitting by Tony’s head while the two men carefully remove his armor, speaks up. “Skull hit you with some kind of attack; I don’t know what the hell it was, but it was powerful. It blasted you back into the woods.”

The brunet looks around again, noting the woodsy area for the first time, before turning back to Natasha.

“I followed you. When you landed—” she cuts herself off before speaking again. “You landed hard; you weren’t moving. Hell, I didn’t even know if you were breathing.”

Tony fights the pain and lets a small smile cross his features. “You like me.”

“No.”

“You stayed with me and tried pulling me out of my armor, even though you knew you wouldn’t be able to.”

“No.”

Tony is wearing a full-fledged grin now. “You _like_ me.”

Natasha crosses her arms. “I was indebted to you. That’s all.” She tries sounding nonchalant about the whole ordeal, but Tony knows Natasha better than she thinks he does. The assassin must have figured that out too, for she uncrosses her arms and lets a genuine smile play over her features. “I’m glad you’re okay, Tony.”

The brunet smiles back before confusion falls over his features. “And where is Skull now?” Tony asks curiously.

“Gone,” Coulson answers as he arrives in the area. “He retreated, thankfully, without the Holy Grail. Barton had secured, and hid it.”

The last of the armor is peeled off and Tony sighs in relief, throwing himself a mental party. “Thank you.”

“It is our pleasure,” Thor responds as he sits back on his heels.

Tony looks to his left and sees Steve’s stricken face continuing to scan his body for any visible injuries other than his head. “I love you.”

Steve’s face softens and the corner of his lip upturns. “I love you, too.”

Coulson clears his throat. “You and Barnes need medical attention. Can you move?”

Tony tries and winces at the pain that shoots through his body. “No . . .” he says without taking his eyes off Steve. “Carry me?”

The blond looks torn between complying and resisting Tony’s request. He gulps. “I don’t want to hurt you any more than you already are.”

“You won’t,” Tony answers in complete confidence.

“Tony.”

“Please? I just . . .” need to be assured that I’m alive and that you’re here, alive, with me.

Steve’s eyes scan Tony’s face for a moment before he nods his compliance. He passes Natasha his shield and the redhead straps it to her back as she did before. The blond carefully slides his hands under Tony’s middle back and knees before carefully lifting the man into his arms.

Tony sighs, feeling Steve’s warmth surround him. He places his face the crook of Steve’s neck, feeling a lazy smile cross over his features, despite the pain.

Natasha snorts. “You look like a happy cat.”

“If I start purring, don’t be surprised,” Tony responds, feeling the vibrations of Steve’s amused chuckle. “Wait, what about my . . .?”

“I have your armor, Man of Iron,” Thor responds.

“I made a makeshift sled out of some broken bark and some rope that I had,” Coulson responds.

“Hmm, how creative of you,” Tony responds, surprised that he sounds only slightly sarcastic.

**

The group of five slowly makes their way back to the rest of the team, with Natasha and Coulson leading the way. Steve, who’s carrying Tony, is following the two Shield Agents. Thor is bringing up the rear while dragging Tony’s armor on the sleigh behind him.

Ten minutes into their walk, Natasha pauses in her stride.

“Agent Romanov?” Coulson asks, curious.

Natasha quietly shushes him before placing a hand against her ear. “This is Widow.” Her brow furrows. “Rhodey, what . . .?” The assassin trails off listening intently, her expression becoming more guarded by the second.

“Natasha, what’s going on?” Steve asks, concerned.

“That was Rhodey; he called me on my private channel,” she begins, remaining vague.

“And? What did he want?” Tony prompts.

A grim looks falls over her features. “Stark Tower is being attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation: Ебать—fuck


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is so late, but there's been a lot going on.
> 
> This chapter picks up right after the last one. I hope you guys enjoy! :)

“What?” Tony exclaims, jolting so hard that Steve nearly drops him.

“Tony, be careful,” Steve says as he regains his grip on the man.

“But, Steve, someone is attacking my tower—our home!” Tony protests to his boyfriend before turning to Natasha. “Did he say anything else?”

“All he said was, “Oh my Thor, someone is attacking Stark Tower! Man, of course, they had to wait until I was trying to "channel my inner Beyoncé”—whatever that means,” Natasha explains. “Rhodey went on to say that he was trying to evacuate all the civilians in the nearby area. He also informed me that Fury knows and has dispatched Agents to assist.”

“We need to move,” Coulson responds. He pulls out his phone and types in a number before placing it against his ear. “Hill? It’s me. I’m going to need for you to transport the well Avengers back to New York. Romanov will fill you in.” He hangs up before he gets a response.

“I can’t come?” Tony says in a neutral tone. The brunet silently curses himself. He really does hate that tone.

“No; like I said, you and Barnes need medical attention. I’ll be taking you both to London,” Coulson answers.

“But . . .”

“Tony,” Steve interjects gently. “You need to go. I don’t want you to get worse.”

The brunet huffs again. He knows damn well he’s not fit to fight, or do anything really, he just hates the thought of being left behind or ignored. Usually when that happens, someone better replaces him. Tony sighs. He knows the Avengers won’t replace him, but he can’t stop himself from thinking like this. He’s had these feelings since childhood. Tony mentally rolls his eyes.

Thanks, dad.

“Steve is right, Tony. We need you well again so you can build us a new house,” Natasha says.

Tony snorts. “You certainly know how to make a man feel loved, Nat.”

“Oh, you know me. I’m a regular fluff ball of fun,” Natasha deadpans.

The group of five reaches the other Avengers, who are still in the same location that the battle with Skull took place. Hill is pacing and talking animatedly on the phone; Bruce is clothed and looking around twitchy and nervous—for what reason, Tony has no idea. Bucky is leaning against a rock, with his eyes closed and looking like he’s about to pass out; and Clint is sitting next to Bucky and glancing around the area. 

The archer is the first one to spot them. “Oh God, Tony, are you okay?”

“I’ve had worse,” Tony responds.

“Hey,” Bucky says. “I’m not the only one who looks like shit.”

“Can it, Barnes, I’m still better looking than you” Tony responds in a teasing tone.

Bucky grins.

Tony furrows his brow. It might just be him, but Bucky’s behavior seems odd. Not only did a church fall on him, and he’s playing it off like he fell off his bike and got a little scrape, but he just found out that someone he considered a friend was working for the enemy the entire time and he seems _fine_.

That bitch is hiding something.

Tony knows from experience that holding in your emotions isn’t good—all it does is lead to self-destructive behavior that could end in death. He knows that Bucky wouldn't go to his best friend for help. The genius is almost a hundred percent sure that Bucky believes Steve would do nothing but blame himself for everything that’s happened. He’s not wrong, Steve would put all the fault on himself instead of blaming the people actually responsible. Tony takes a breath, realizing that he’s going to have to try and get Bucky to talk _with him_. The question is: when? 

“So, what’s the plan?” Clint asks.

“We have a situation,” Natasha says in a grim tone. “Stark Tower is being attacked.”

“What?”

“Impossible.”

“It’s happening. War Machine is on the scene with Shield as backup, but they won’t be able to hold the area forever,” the assassin continues. “Coulson will take Tony and Bucky to a hospital in London to get treatment. Agent Hill will take the rest of us to New York to assist Rhodey.”

“Let’s get ready,” Coulson says. “Capt—Steve, Thor, bring Tony and Bucky to my jet.”

“Steve,” Tony begins.

“Sorry, honey. I know you want to come, but you need treatment,” Steve says. “Plus, someone needs to keep an eye on Bucky so he doesn’t hit on all the nurses.”

“Oh, please. Stevie, I know how to behave myself,” Bucky says as Thor falls into step with Steve. The brunet is once again being carried piggyback style.

“No, you don’t,” Steve says fondly as the group of four reach Coulson’s jet.

The back portion of Coulson’s Quinjet is opened. Steve and Thor walk on board, paying careful attention not to jostle the two men they’re carrying. They enter the main area of the jet where horizontal seats that are placed against each other line the walls with a large space in the middle for walking around. The pilot’s chair is further up the walkway and nestled between two walls. The Agent himself is sitting in his chair prepping the jet for flight.

“You can lay them both on the seats behind me. Make sure they’re strapped in tight. I don’t want them rolling around midflight,” Coulson says without turning around.

“You got to admit that’d be so cool,” Bucky says as Thor attempts to get the man settled.

Steve carefully lays Tony down on the seat and straps him in. He looks around before grabbing a parachute bag and placing it under Tony’s head.

Tony smiles. “You take such good care of me.”

“You deserve it,” Steve says. He places his hands on either side of Tony’s head before leaning down and giving the brunet a quick peck on the lips. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“Only if you do that again.”

Steve smiles and leans down again. Before the blond could move away, Tony pulls him in for a longer, more passionate kiss.

When the two do part, Steve gives his boyfriend a flirty smile. “You’re making me not want to go.”

“I don’t want you too,” Tony says before bringing their mouths back together.

After a few moments, Steve pulls away and gives Tony a loving smile.

The brunet sighs happily before attempting to make himself comfortable against the hard seats. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Tony is able to steal a few more kisses from Steve before Coulson interrupts.

“Alright, you two, get out,” Coulson says. He has since risen from his seat and is standing in the same area as the four Avengers.

Steve and Thor exchange a quick look before complying, saying their goodbyes to their comrades and heading for Agent Hill’s jet.

Coulson, satisfied, returns to his seat. He closes the back of jet and makes any final preparations.

“Psst,” Bucky whispers. “Psst. Tony.”

“What?” Tony whispers back, amused.

“Road trip, whoo.”

The genius smiles while Coulson raises the Quinjet into the air, and heads for the City of London.

**

Tony sighs as he lounges in his hospital bed, bored out of his mind, and glancing around the room with disinterest. The walls of this room are bare, save for the one to Tony’s left that has a large window, which shows a spectacular view of the sun setting over the London skyline. Twin beds occupy the room, both uncomfortable and plain. Both beds have a Cardiac Monitor and an I.V. drip on either side that the nurses check constantly. A night stands rests between the two beds with a digital clock, a lamp, and a fake flowerpot sitting on top.

There are three random chairs in the room: one is placed in front of the nightstand, and the other two are on the other side of the room next to the window. A small black television hangs on the wall, with the channels constantly cycling.

The brunet turns to the rooms other occupant. “Bucky, you’ve gone through those channels a hundred times. They only have standard cable here.”

“I know, but there’s nothing to do here! I’m so bored!” Bucky says before tossing the remote onto his bed.

The door to their hospital room opens and Agent Coulson walks in with several files in his hands. He closes the door behind him and walks over to the chairs next to the window. He settles down in one of the chairs and places his files on the other. “How are you two feeling?”

“Hungry.”

“Tired.”

“I’ll bet,” Coulson responds. “You two have had a rough day.”

After leaving the battle site, Coulson rushed Bucky and Tony to the City of London. The bumpy flight consisted of the two Avengers trying not to jostle their injuries, and roll off the seats despite being strapped in tight. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to reach the hospital. Coulson is one of Shield’s best pilots alongside Natasha, Clint, and Agent Hill.

As soon as the Quinjet touched down on the helipad, the two brunets were immediately surrounded by E.R. staff members, and loaded onto stretchers. One of the paramedics attached an I.V. drip to Tony’s arm and pumped him with anesthetic. He faded out of consciousness, hearing Coulson giving orders to the doctors to not mess with the arc reactor or Bucky’s bionic arm.

The rest is a blur to Tony. He woke up in a hospital room, with Bucky by his side still unconscious. Coulson was lounging in one of the chairs on the other side of the room, reading through some Shield files, unaware that the brunet was conscious.

Tony looked down at himself and cringed. His left arm is in a cast and he feels lightheaded, nauseous, and incredibly sore. The brunet doesn’t have any pain, save for a dull throbbing in his head. He’s going to have to ask the nurses for more medication when they return.

Not long after Tony awoke, a doctor entered the room and engaged Coulson in conversation. The Doctor handed two clipboards to the Agent with the results of Tony and Bucky’s operations.

Bucky has four broken ribs, and a twisted ankle, just as Natasha determined from earlier. Tony has a mild concussion, three broken ribs, some minor internal bleeding (that’s been dealt with), and a broken arm. The Doctor recounts their injuries with slight amazement in his tone as if he can’t believe that the pair are alive at this very moment. Tony briefly wonders what excuse Coulson made up to explain their injuries.

Tony hears Bucky sigh from the other side of the room, which brings the brunet out of his thoughts.

“So, Coulson, why are we here?”

“A bungee jump incident. You both decided to jump together, didn’t account for your combined weight, and the cord snapped,” the Agent explains. “You two fell hundreds of feet and miraculously survived.”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “That Doctor believed _I_   went bungee jumping?”

Coulson smiles. “Everyone has their price for keeping secrets.”

The Agent glances at the clock before gathering his files and rising from the chair. “Visiting hours are over now. You two should try to get some rest. You have a long recovery ahead of you,” he says. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.” Coulson bids the pair goodnight, before exiting the room.

“He’s right, we should try and get our nap on,” Bucky says.

Tony shakes his head fondly. “Goodnight, Bucky.”

“Goodnight.”

The genius settles down and tries to make himself comfortable. He’s so used to having a warm pillow named Steve to sleep on, that Tony doesn’t know how he’s going to manage to get some rest tonight. Tony sighs before closing his eyes, trying to imagine the feel of his boyfriend’s arms surrounding him.

**

They don’t see Coulson for a few days.

The Agent slips into their room early on a Friday morning, just as the sun’s rays are rising from the horizon.

“And where the hell have you been, Mister?” Tony says, actually managing the startle the Agent. Neither man was able to sleep the night before, so they decided to stay up talking and making jokes. When they heard the door open, they pretended to be asleep in the hopes it was Coulson trying to sneak in.

“Yeah, you said that you would be back tomorrow and that was three days ago,” Bucky says. “What the hell, you can’t go around and give us false hope like that.”

“Sorry, I had matters to attend to at Shield’s London Headquarters,” Coulson responds. “I do have two bits of good news. Number one, the Doctors have returned to me your personal items. Number two, I have new information on the Stark Tower Situation.”

The Agent walks over to the beds and hands each man a Ziploc bag, containing the items that both men had on them during the battle. Tony now has his phone and wallet back, while Bucky has his phone and a half-eaten sandwich.

“Dude, don’t eat that, it’s been days,” Tony says as he watches the other man eyeing the sandwich with interest.

Bucky frowns while continuing to stare at the sandwich.

Tony shakes his head and looks over at Coulson, who is sitting in the same chair that he sat in the other day. “If these are the items we had in battle, where is my armor?”

“Captain Rogers insisted that he take the ruined armor back with him to New York,” Coulson answers. “I have no idea why though.”

Tony tries his hardest to repress the smile that is attempting to crawl over his features. When they first got together, Tony told Steve that in the event that something happens to him, the blond is to secure his tech and keep it out of Shield hands. The brunet was hoping that they wouldn’t have to come to such an event, but he’s fortunate that Steve always keeps his word.

“And what about Stark Tower,” Bucky inquires, forgetting about his half-eaten sandwich. “What do you have?”

“The assailant is still unknown, but Hydra is our prime suspect. Our theory is that Red Skull used himself as a distraction so that part of his organization could take down the Avengers Headquarters in the hopes of crippling your effort against him,” Coulson explains.

“Stark Tower, and the structures on either side, was completely destroyed during the attack. Colonel Rhodes said that the building stood for maybe an hour before collapsing in on itself. Thankfully, no one was injured or killed. Rhodes, the NYPD, the National Guard, the FBI, and Shield were able to evacuate everyone, within a three block radius, in time.”

“Shield is working closely with the Government to explain the motives behind the attack. All the public knows is that the attack happened, and that we are working to bring the people responsible to justice. Since Stark Tower was directly attacked, many people are theorizing that The Mandarin has returned.”

“Impossible,” Tony says speaking up for the first time. He watched Pepper eliminate Killian, himself. No one could come back from that—not even a genius.

“Again, it’s just public speculation,” Coulson says. “You do have a lot of enemies, Stark.”

“Yes, I do, but _none_ of them have the balls to attack me directly at my home,” Tony says. “Plus, I wasn’t the only one lived there. Any one of us could have been a target.”

“As much as I hate to say it, I think Skull was coming after Steve,” Bucky chimes in. “Ever since he busted me out of that Hydra base in Germany, he’s been on Skull’s radar.”

“Do you think he could have been after you as well?” Coulson asks.

Bucky shakes it head. “No; Even though I was the direct cause of delaying his plans, I would never be as big a target as Captain America.”

“And if the Skull knew that Cap was living in Stark Tower . . .” Coulson says before trailing off.

“It had to be Hydra,” Tony says. “There’s no doubt.”

“Yeah, I mean, where would you hit a man where it will hurt the most?” Bucky asks.

“His home,” Coulson responds. “Dammit.”

“What about the wreckage?” Tony asks. “If this is true, we can’t let Hydra get a hold of my tech.” Or Shield, for that matter. Who knows what either corporation would do with Stark technology in their hands.

“Captain Rogers is personally leading the cleanup effort,” Coulson answers with a slight eye roll. “Again, he insisted.”

Tony allows a smile to cross his features. Steve is so good to him.

Coulson clears his throat before continuing. “Agent Hill has informed me that it could be weeks before everything is cleaned and cleared away. Shield has twenty-four hour guards posted at the site of the wreckage to discourage any persons from thinking of trying to pull any kind of criminal acts.”

The Agent opens his mouth to continue speaking when his phone rings. He pulls out the device and checks the caller ID. “Excuse me, I have to take this,” he says before quickly standing, and exiting the room.

Bucky sighs heavily.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay, buddy,” Tony says, hoping he sounds more convincing to the other man than he does to himself.

“I know, it’s just . . . I had finally found a home. A place where I truly felt like I belonged,” the soldier shrugs. “And now, it’s gone.”

“You know, Stark Tower is like a phoenix. From its ashes, a new one will arise.”

Bucky smiles at the analogy. “Really?”

“Yeah, I’ll build us a new home and it will be better than the old one. I promise.”

“Will it . . . have a water slide?”

Tony laughs. “You bet.”

The door to their room opens and Coulson reenters. “I have to attend to matters at the London Headquarters. Will you two be alright?”

“Yeah, we’ll be cool,” Bucky says.

“Just come back tomorrow,” Tony says.

Coulson smiles. “Will do. I’ll see you both tomorrow,” he says before exiting the room.

“I don’t know about you, but I really want to talk to the others right now,” Bucky says.

“Same,” Tony says before pulling his phone out of the Ziploc bag Coulson brought. “Which Avenger should we call though?”

The pair exchanges a look.

“Steve,” they say at the same time.

Tony turns on his phone, glad to find that the device was not damaged during the battle. Pepper was right: the only two things that will survive a nuclear war will be cockroaches and Stark phones. The brunet dials Steve’s number and puts his phone on speaker. He places the device on the nightstand between himself and Bucky.

The phone rings four times before Steve answers.

“Hello?”

“Baby?”

“Tony?”

“And Bucky,” Bucky says with a grin.

“Hey! How are you guys feeling?”

“Better than we were four days ago,” Tony says. “It’s still going to be at least a month before we can come back to New York though.”

“That stinks, but at least you two are resting,” Steve says.

“Is that Tony?” the pair hears over the line.

“Piss off, Clint, I’m on the phone,” Steve says.

“I want to talk to Tony!”

“No—hey!”

“Guys, it’s Natasha,” the assassin says. “Tony, your boyfriend, and the bird are idiots. I’m putting you on speaker.”

“We are not idiots,” Clint protests.

“Well, one of us isn’t,” Steve says.

“It is troublesome that the food here is so unappetizing,” Thor says, cutting off Clint before he has the chance to respond to Steve’s comment.

“Yeah; for a multi-billion dollar organization, they should be able to afford some decent cafeteria food,” Bruce agrees.

Tony furrows his brow. “Where are you guys?”

“At Shield,” Bruce says. “We’ve been living here the past few days.”

“No one should ever be resigned to living at Shield,” Tony says, with slight disgust in his voice.

“Where else should we go?” Natasha asks. “To the crappy apartments that Shield supplies for us?”

“No,” Tony says. “My family has a mansion on Fifth Avenue. I usually don’t go there because that’s where I grew up and there’s too much of my father around for comfort.” He takes a breath. “We could possibly make it the Avengers Temporary Headquarters. At least until I can build another tower. And yes, we can call this one Avengers Tower.”

“Score,” Clint calls.

“You’d really do that?” Steve asks.

Tony knows he’s not talking about the name. “Despite the fact that I have a lot of bad memories there, you guys could help me make better ones.” He really means that. Having his friends, the Avengers, and Steve in his life now _almost_ makes up for all the shit he had to deal with in the past.

Except for the time when a certain parent missed him in the science fair. Come on, a five year old kid enters a college science fair _and wins_? That’s fucking impressive, _Howard_.

“You really have been a good influence on him, Captain,” Natasha says. Tony can hear the smile in her tone.

“Nah, that’s all Tony,” Steve says with pride laced in his voice.

Tony smiles. “Hey, honey, can you do something for me?” he asks. “Well, two things?”

“Of course,” Steve says, sounding concerned. “What do you need?”

“Can you go to the . . . wreckage, and see if you can find Dummy?” Tony asks. “I know it sounds stupid, but—”

“It doesn’t sound stupid at all,” Steve interrupts, saving the billionaire from trying to explain how much that dumb robot means to him. “I’ll try my damnedest to find him.”

Tony smiles, feeling elated. He’s so lucky to have this man as his partner.

“What’s the second thing?” Steve asks.

“I’m going to need for you to upload JARVIS to the mansion’s systems,” Tony says. “There’s a version of him still on Shield’s servers. You’re going to have to download him onto a USB drive. Then, bring him to the lab I have at the mansion, and upload him from there.”

“Oh, and don’t worry about the install at the mansion, babe, JAR—” Tony cuts himself off before sighing. “I was about to say, JARVIS will help you with that.”

“I’m sure I’ll figure it out, Tones. After all, I am dating the best engineer in the world. I’m pretty sure I’ve picked up a thing or two.”

“Universe,” Tony corrects with a fond smile. “Best engineer in the universe.”

“Aw, Stevie, if only you could see his face,” Bucky teases while wearing at grin. “He’s completely smitten.”

“Shut it, Barnes, or I’ll push you out the window.”

“Oh, yeah? With what strength?”

“I’ll show you in four to six weeks. Just you wait.”

“I will. Patiently.”

Steve’s laugh from the other end of the line causes both men to grin wider. “Okay, I have to go now. Clint is about to start eating a potted plant and I don’t like the look Natasha is giving him. I’ll talk to you soon?”

“Of course.”

“Totally.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Which one of us are you saying that too?” Bucky teases. “Because, dude, I love ya like a brother, but Tony is right here.”

Bucky’s comment isn’t even that funny, but everyone bursts into laughter, regardless. Tony has to clutch his ribs at the pang of pain he feels from laughing so hard. Due to their injuries and the severity of the trials, it’s been too long since the Avengers have been able to have a carefree laugh like this.

“Bucky, you shit,” Steve says as he’s trying to calm down his laughter. “Director Fury just walked into the room and he’s looking at us like he regrets every decision he made that’s led him to this point.”

“Hopefully, starting with that hair-do,” Tony says, which causes another round of laughter.

“Ha-ha,” Fury says over the Avengers laughter. “Now, get off the phone and into the debriefing room. We have shit to discuss that _does not_ start with my fashionable hair-do.”

“He’s so offended,” Natasha says.

“It’s actually quite funny how sensitive he is about his hair,” Bruce chimes in.

Clint snorts. “What hair?”

That comment sends another quick burst of laughter throughout the Avengers.

“Baby, we really have to go now. The Director is giving us the stink-eye,” Steve says, sounding like he’s trying to hold back more laughter.

“Okay. I love you,” Tony says.

“I love you t . . .,” Steve says. “Clint says he loves you more.”

Tony snorts. “I could literally hear Natasha’s eye roll,” he says before hearing the assassin’s laughter ringing over the line.

“Okay, bye you two. Have good night.”

“Goodnight!” The two men chime at the same time.

Steve hangs up and silence fills the room as the two men look down at Tony’s phone, which is sitting on the nightstand.

“I miss them,” Bucky says, with nostalgia laced in his voice.

“Yeah,” Tony says feeling a pang of longing himself. “Me too.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want an awesome playlist, I listened to these songs on repeat while writing this chapter:  
> “All Too Well” (Taylor Swift)  
> “Turn Your Face” (Little Mix)  
> “Beez in the Trap” (Nicki Minaj)  
> “Talk Dirty to Me” (Jason Derulo)  
> “So What?” (Field Mob feat. Ciara)

_Seven Weeks Later . . ._

“So, who do you think would win in a fight—robots or clowns?” Bucky asks early on a Wednesday Morning.

Tony thinks for a moment. “Robots.”

“You think?”

“Of course, especially if I designed them,” Tony explains. “Why? Do you think clowns would win?”

“Uh, yeah,” Bucky responds. “They’re clearly superior, and have you seen how many of them can fit into a car?”

Tony grins. “Is that a challenge?”

Bucky returns the grin. “You know it. Forty bucks says you’re wrong.”

“You’re on, Barnes.”

The door to Tony and Bucky’s hospital room opens and Coulson walks in, nodding to the two men in greeting. The Agent has two clipboards in his hands and a navy blue duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. “The Doctor gave me your results,” he announces, raising the clipboards in his right hand slightly for emphasis.

Tony takes a breath, hoping for good news. His cast came off last week, and both of their ribs have completely healed. He and Bucky are ready to leave this hospital. They miss the freedom, New York, and the team.

Ever since their first phone call with the Avengers, Tony and Bucky have talked with them almost every day about a variety of topics. Tony had gotten Bucky’s phone working again one day while the other man was sleeping, so the soldier could distract the others while Tony talked to Steve about technical things.

Steve informed Tony that he found Dummy, installed JARVIS successfully to the mansion (the AI was thrilled to be back), secured Tony’s wrecked suits and experiments (both finished and unfinished), and placed all items in the mansion’s lab. Even though he is also the project head of both Avengers Tower and the Mansion’s restoration, Pepper and Natasha took charge of the décor because they’re both better at design than he is.

Coulson clears his throat, pulling Tony out of his thoughts. “It looks like good news,” the Agent says as he scans over their charts. “The Doctor is giving you both the all clear. We can leave as soon as you both are checked out.”

Both men let out loud exclamations of joy and relief.

Coulson smiles before tossing the duffel bag onto Tony’s bed. “There are four changes of clothes in there for each of you. I’ll check you both out of the hospital while you get changed,” he announces before leaving the room.

The two men eagerly climb out of their beds before opening the duffel bag and getting dressed. After changing, the pair sits back on their beds, barely able to contain their excitement about finally being able to leave.

Coulson returns to the room five minutes later to find both men dressed. “Ready to go?”

“Hell yeah,” Tony and Bucky say together before laughing.

The Agent nods. “Good. There’s a car waiting outside. Let’s go.”

Tony and Bucky stand from their beds before following Coulson out of the room.

**

Six and a half hours later, the Quinjet lands at JFK International Airport. Tony’s surprised that the flight passed by quickly, thought it could be because he fell asleep for a few hours at one point. Coulson steers and parks the Quinjet in one of the many private airport hangars.

The trio quickly exits the jet and heads for the black sedan parked in front of the hangar. Shield must have dropped the car off for them—how nice. Coulson climbs into the driver’s seat with Tony in the passenger side and Bucky sitting behind the Agent.

“Where are we headed?” Coulson asks after everyone is settled.

“890 Fifth Avenue,” Tony says responds.

Coulson nods his confirmation before putting the car in gear, maneuvers out of the airport, and onto the main road.

Tony looks around the city, furrowing his brow. Something about the way Coulson is going seems familiar. When he was younger, Jarvis would sometimes take him on car rides to the supermarket, and Tony is almost ninety percent sure that Jarvis took this exact same path back to the mansion.

Coulson turns a corner and there, in front of them, are the ruins of Stark Tower. The immediate area surrounding the tower and the two fallen buildings has been completely blocked off, with Shield Agents, Construction Workers, and Crime Scene Cleanup scattered on site. The debris has been largely moved away, seeing as the road is travelable, but Tony can see some wooden planks sticking out of the hole where the Tower once stood.

The brunet feels overwhelmed with anger. He still can’t believe that Hydra attacked his home, especially when the Avengers weren’t around. Tony can’t stop his thoughts from drifting to Rhodey. What if Rhodey wasn’t in the tower when it was attacked? Shield wouldn’t have had as quick of a response time as his friend did.

Tony shakes his head slightly, unable to stop the guilt from creeping up on him. He takes a breath, trying to calm himself down. Hundreds of people could have been killed, all because of Skull and these stupid trials, and there isn’t a damn thing Tony can do about it. It’s not like he can go back in time and prevent all this shit from happening. (Well, technically, he could, but it would take too long and he doesn’t have the proper equipment anymore).

The brunet sighs. Tomorrow, he really needs to get down to the lab and speak with JARVIS about everything. Talking with the AI always helps him think better. Besides, JARVIS was in Shield’s servers, and it will be easier to hack into their database and gather Intel now that the AI has already been there once. Speaking of Intel . . .

“Do you have any other information on The Situation?” Tony asks, directing his question towards Coulson. He began referring to the attack on the Tower and the subsequent aftermath as “The Situation,” because saying “The Stark Tower Situation” is not only a mouthful, but also just hearing the phrase upsets him greatly.

Coulson glances at what is left of the building before turning back to the road. “As of now, nothing I haven’t already told you. I’ll know more once I return to the Helicarrier.”

Tony furrows his brow. He tears his gaze away from the ruins of his tower to look at Coulson. “You haven’t gone back Shield?”

“Negative. I’ve been in London with you two for the entire seven weeks you have been hospitalized. Fury thought it would be a good idea for a trained Agent to stay in the event that someone had the balls to attack two Avengers while they were vulnerable state,” Coulson explains.

“Fury could have asked anyone,” Tony questions, suspiciously.

“Affirmative.”

Tony knows the Agent personally stayed behind of his own free will because he was worried and didn’t want to leave their care up to some random stickler agent. The brunet hums in response.

Conversation dies down not too long after those comments. Tony turns back to look at Bucky, who’s been mostly silent thus far. The former soldier is gazing out the window, watching the city pass by with a nostalgic look and a slight smile on his face. Tony feels horrible for Bucky—the other man hasn’t had any time to enjoy being back in New York. Almost as soon as the Avengers returned from Russia, they had to start the second trial.

The genius is still trying to find a way to get Bucky to talk with him about everything that happened over a month ago, but he hasn’t found the right time. Sure, they did spend seven weeks in the same room, but that was more of the pair properly getting to know each other. Tony spent most of their time together teaching Bucky about the modern world and answering any questions the other man had, which were mainly about Shield. The brunet made sure he answered those questions when Coulson wasn’t around.

Tony doesn’t make friends easily, and he’s honestly surprised at how close he and Bucky have gotten. It helps that he and Bucky have similar personality types and the same sense of humor. It’s like Jarvis always said, “It’s hard to be around someone who doesn’t know how to laugh, especially at themselves.” The brunet smiles, recalling a time when Steve told him that one of the reasons the blond was initially drawn to Tony was his sense of humor.

Speaking of Steve, Tony’s been missing his boyfriend like crazy. Even though the pair talked on the phone nearly every day that he was in the hospital, it’s still not the same as being with Steve in person. Tony sighs. Before they headed out on the jet, Tony and Bucky promised each other that they wouldn’t contact the other Avengers about their homecoming (Bucky said he’s always wanted to surprise someone by just suddenly appearing), but the brunet can feel his self-control slipping away.

Tony pulls out his phone, and begins dialing Steve’s number. He can’t keep this news from the blond anymore.

“Who are you calling?” Bucky asks curiously, speaking for the first time since the trio landed back in the states.

“Steve,” Tony responds. “I know we wanted to surprise the team, but I—hey! Give me back my phone.” He frowns at Bucky, who expertly swiped Tony’s phone from his hands and puts the device on speaker.

The phone rings three times before Steve answers.

“We in New York, bitch!” Bucky exclaims, enthusiastically before Steve even got the chance to say hello.

Steve’s laughter rings over the line. “Are you serious right now?”

“We’re pretty fucking serious, Stevie,” Bucky responds. “Phillip the Third is driving us to the Mansion as we speak.”

“That’s not my name,” Coulson responds. “At least “The Third” part anyway. You make me sound like I’m some fairytale character.”

“Well, you are our knight in shining armor, after all,” Tony teases.

“He rescued the fair maiden’s from their despair like a true gentlemen,” Bucky responds with a grin.

Coulson rolls his eyes, but Tony doesn’t miss the fond smile on his face.

The blond laughs again. “Agent Coulson, I cannot thank you enough for taking care of my boys,” Steve says grateful. “They would have been completely helpless without you.”

“Well, not completely,” Tony answers.

Bucky scrunches his brow. “Maybe just a little.”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “You think?”

“In our defense, we were pretty rough,” Bucky says. “Otherwise, we could have handled it. Maybe.”

Coulson clears his throat. “It’s no problem at all, Steve.”

“Steve, he’s so flustered right now,” Tony says amused.

“ _Totally_ flustered. He looks like one of those candied hearts you’d get for Valentine’s Day,” Bucky responds.

“You two can walk the rest of the way.”

Tony snorts. “There’s no point because we’re already here.”

“In that case, I’ll see you both in a bit.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye, Stevie.”

“Goodbye, Steve.”

Bucky hangs up the phone and hands it back to Tony as Coulson pulls up to the dual black steel gates that reside in front of Stark Mansion. The gates open automatically and the Agent drives up the short driveway before coming to a stop in front of the large building.

Stark Mansion, itself, is the size of a city block. It has three above ground levels and three basement floors. The first level is the “entertainment area” as Tony’s mother used to call it. There, the Stark’s would greet and host and multitude of guests and parties, acting as though they were the perfect New York family.

The second floor was where Tony grew up—his bedroom was on one side and his parents on the other. Howard spent most of his time in his study located across from his bedroom drinking, working on doomed projects, and trying to find Cap (who turned out to be twenty miles in the opposite direction from where Howard was originally looking). His mother was mostly out shopping or with her friends, exchanging stories and tales that Tony doesn’t know to this day. The billionaire, on the other hand, spent his time with Jarvis, showing off his inventions and watching the butler’s face light up with interest and pride. The third above ground level was mostly used for storage. His parents had more use out of that room than he did.

In regards to the basement, the first level was Howard’s workshop, where the man spent the time not devoted to being in the study. The second floor was Tony’s lab, where he proudly tinkered to his heart’s content. That is, until he was forced to leave by either Jarvis’s gentle prodding or Howard’s stern words. The third level was always unused. Tony’s thinking that he could turn that last basement into a training ground for the Avengers. After all, he has no idea how long it’s going to take him to build Avengers Tower.

“So, this is the infamous Stark Mansion?” Coulson asks, looking at the building with indifference.

“Yep, in the flesh,” Tony responds.

“Can we go inside?” Bucky asks, with excitement in his tone.

“Sure, we are going to be living here, after all,” Tony says before turning to Coulson. “Thanks for the ride and for, well, everything you’ve done until now.”

“No problem,” Coulson responds. “I’m happy to help. Don’t forget to take the duffel with you. Those clothes should tide you over for a few days until you can get back out. ”

“We won’t, thank you.” Tony smiles at the man before exiting the vehicle, with Bucky in tow. The latter grabs the duffel bag, while Tony looks up at his childhood home. As Coulson drives off, the brunet feels like he’s about to enter a prison that was crafted especially for him. He’d probably feel even worse if Bucky wasn’t beside him shaking like an excited Chihuahua.

The billionaire rolls his eyes. “You know the two of us are going to have to go shopping,” he says in an effort to distract himself from the Mansion towering over him.

Bucky scrunches his face as they begin to walk to the mansions large oak double doors. “Oh please. I’ll just borrow Stevie’s clothes for the time being.”

Tony snorts. “Do you think he’ll mind?”

Bucky shrugs. “Probably not. We used to share clothes all the time. Well, I wasn’t able to borrow his clothes after I turned thirteen because his were too small.”

Before Tony can respond, Bucky continues, “Plus, I absolutely detest shopping.”

Tony laughs before pulling open one of the doors before both men enter the mansion. The brunet pauses after shutting the door. Something seems off about the entryway—it looks nothing like he remembered. Maybe it’s been too long, but Tony can tell that something is different.

_“Welcome back, sir. Master Barnes.”_

“Yo.”

“It’s great to be back, JAR.”

“My friends!” Thor booms joyously. He leads the Avengers into the entryway from what Tony remembers as the living room.

Bucky and Tony are immediately surrounded, exchanging hugs and greetings with each of their teammates. Clint engages Bucky in a conversation about what he’s missed over the past month and a half. Tony stands on his toes and gives Steve a long overdue welcome home kiss. When they part, Tony embraces the man tightly, smiling when he feels arms wrap around him.

The brunet pulls away from Steve’s arms a few moments later and glances around the area again, a confused look falling over his features. “Is all this new? What happened to the old furniture?”

“Oh, um, I had it moved to a storage unit I’m renting down by the harbor,” Steve says with a hint of nervousness in his tone. “I mean, you did say that you wanted new memories here and I thought that you wouldn’t want to be reminded of the past. I . . . hope that’s okay?”

Tony feels overwhelmed. Never in his life has he felt such a strong love for someone as he does for Steve. He can’t even begin to comprehend at how touched he is that Steve do something as simple as replacing the furniture to make sure that Tony is comfortable being in this house again. “I love you.”

Steve furrows his brow. “Does that mean it’s okay?”

“It’s more than “okay” . . . it’s perfect,” Tony says before planting a hard, enthusiastic kiss on Steve’s lips.

The blond flinches in surprise before returning the affection. He breaks the kiss a few moments later and smiles at Tony. “I love you too.”

Tony smiles back before scrunching his brow. “Wait, where did you get all this furniture?”

Natasha clears her throat. “I can answer that. Steve came to me after he placed everything in storage and asked if I could choose the new décor for the mansion. He said that I have excellent taste.”

“He’s not wrong; this place looks fantastic,” Tony agrees. “How did you . . .?”

“My Stark Card, which you had so graciously bestowed upon me,” Natasha teases with a grin.

Tony snorts, amused. “Well, clearly, _we_ have excellent taste,” he teases back.

“Pepper didn’t think so.”

The billionaire raises an eyebrow. “She didn’t?”

“Yeah, she called wondering why there was so much charged to my account,” Natasha says. “She lectured me for over an hour on how I need to be more responsible with my money—despite the fact that I am a grown ass woman—so that I don’t “pull a Tony” whatever the hell that means.”

“It involved forty grand, and a swimming pool, but it’s a long story that I’m not telling,” Tony says.

“So, how about we go into the newly furnished living room and watch a movie?” Steve says, changing the subject, and preventing Tony from being forced into telling a long and embarrassing story.

“You know, there’s actually a movie I DVRed last night I’ve wanted to see,” Bruce says. “You guys want to watch it with me?”

“Sure,” Tony says. “What’s it called?”

“ _Return of the Dragon 2,_ ” Bruce says.

“ _Return of the Dragon 2_ came on last night and I missed it?” Bucky exclaims. “Oh God, I have committed sacrilege.”

“You know those movies?” Natasha questions.

“Three weeks ago, BCC One showed a marathon of _The Dragon_ , _The Dragon 2_ , _The Dragon’s Revenge_ , and _Return of the Dragon_ as part of their “Bad Movie Monday,”” Tony explains.

“And they were awful!” Bucky gushes. “Terrible, terrible movies, but I love them regardless!”

“When I told Bucky that I read online they were airing the sequel in a few days, he was so excited. Two hours before the movie came on, he accidentally fell asleep and woke up right as the credits were rolling,” Tony continues.

“I was completely disappointed in myself,” Bucky says. “How could I do such a horrible thing?”

“If it makes you feel any better, I missed it too,” Bruce says. “Thankfully, BCC America replays everything that airs on BCC One so we can watch it now.”

“I’ll make the popcorn,” Clint calls before leaving the room and heading for the kitchen.

“Come on,” Natasha says as she tugs on Tony’s shirtsleeve. “I want to show you the living room. I’m quite proud of it.”

Tony exchanges a curious look with Steve before allowing Natasha to pull him into the living room.

The room itself is slightly larger than the average studio apartment in the city. The center wall is two thirds filled with a giant plasma television. A small black entertainment center sits underneath the television with the DVR, cable box, Wii, and Blu-Ray player sitting on top of the stand. A medium sized glass coffee table is placed in the center of the room. The two couches and two recliners in the area are both made of a black leather material. One of the couches is placed against the left wall. One of the chairs, the second couch, and the second chair are placed in front of the coffee table in that order. There are three faux potted plants placed in the room, and several magnificent pieces of artwork hanging on the walls.

Tony marvels at Natasha’s work. The assassin really did a fantastic job on everything. He can’t wait to see the rest of the house.

“Nat . . . this is wonderful,” Tony says, feeling genuine awe.

“Thank you,” Natasha responds with a smile.

“You didn’t get any of this at Costco, did you?” Tony asks. Costco has been public enemy number one on Tony’s radar ever since he was forced into paying over fourteen thousand dollars in damages. Well, he wasn’t forced, but it’s not like he was going to have Nat and Clint pick up the bill when he has more than enough.

Natasha rolls her eyes. “Of course not. Besides, Clint and I are banned for life, so there’s also that.”

Tony snorts.

The team fully enters the room and settles down. Natasha and Bruce plop down on the couch placed against the wall. Bucky and Thor settle down in the two chairs, reclining both items and letting out joint sighs of relief. Steve and Tony settle on the other couch. The brunet immediately curls himself against Steve’s side, smiling when he feels the blond’s arms wrap around him, and lips press against his hair.

Clint walks into the living room, with seven bags of popcorn in his hands. He passes a bag out to each Avenger, keeping one for himself. “JARVIS, can you play _Return of the Dragon 2_ , please?”

 _“As you wish, Master Barton,”_ the AI responds.

The archer plops down on the couch between Natasha and Bruce as JARVIS loads the movie. “You guys ready for this.”

“I’ve been ready for the last two weeks,” Bucky says, excited. “Let’s do this.”

Clint grins as the movie begins to play.

**

Three hours later, the movie ends.

“Best worst thing I’ve ever seen,” Bucky says.

“Agreed,” Bruce says. “Do you think they’ll make another one?”

“Probably,” Natasha responds. “These movies are extremely popular despite how bad they are. They’re almost as ridiculous as _Sharknado_.”

“Don’t even get me started on _Sharknado_ ,” Tony says. “That one will go down in history.”

“Yeah, as one of the most hilariously bad movies in existence,” Steve says.

Natasha snorts.

Clint stands and stretches. He grabs the remote off the coffee table before turning off the television. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hitting the sack. Goodnight,” the archer announces before leaving the room.

Soon after, Natasha, Bruce, Bucky, and Thor all file out, leaving Steve and Tony alone in the main living room. Steve stands and stretches, sighing as he feels his muscles pop. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“Ooooh,” Tony says with a grin. He rises from his seat and follows Steve to the elevator. “We’re going upstairs . . .”

Steve laughs as the elevator doors open. He walks inside, followed by Tony. The latter wraps his arms around Steve’s neck, and pulls the taller man down for a passionate kiss. The soldier pulls away and presses the button that would take them to the third floor. Keeping the shorter male wrapped in his arms, Steve nuzzles the top of Tony’s head and smiles at the brunet’s content sigh.

The elevator dings and the doors open, signaling their arrival. Steve untangles himself from Tony, grabbing the other man’s hands and leading him into the master suite. Tony leans upward and kisses Steve again, nibbling at his bottom lip. The blond lets the kiss continue for a few moments before pulling away, much to the other’s displeasure.

“Steve . . .” Tony whines.

Steve grins. “We’re just going to sleep, Tony,” he says in an amused tone.

“Are you sure? Because I’m up for anything,” Tony says through a yawn.

Steve chuckles. “It’s time for bed.”

“I haven’t even been up that long,” the genius protests.

“Oh, really?”

Tony opens his mouth to retort, but is cut off by a yawn.

Steve gives Tony another amused look.

Tony sighs. “Fine, I’ll go to bed,” he said before stripping down to his underwear, and crawling under the covers.

Steve snorts. He slides under the covers and kisses Tony’s lips, smiling when the younger man places a hand on the back of Steve’s neck to prevent him from moving.

Eventually, the need for air arises and Tony regretfully parts from Steve. “I love you.”

Steve smiles and briefly kisses Tony. “I love you, too.” He stretches and turns out the lamp next to the bed. Steve turns, wraps an arm around his lover’s waist and pulls him closer. Steve places a kiss on Tony’s forehead.

Tony sighs contently and settles against the soldier. He closes his eyes and falls asleep to the sound of Steve’s steady breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter is kinda meh, but in my defense, things are slowing down for a few chapters.
> 
> Regardless, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! :)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is late. My friend, who looks over each chapter, has been super busy with school, but she just got back to me today. Now, I can bring you guys the next chapter!

Tony jolts awake, feeling hard asphalt underneath his back. The brunet furrows his brow. That’s odd—he’s pretty sure he fell asleep in a bed last night. What is he doing in the middle of the street?

The billionaire slowly sits up and looks around. He’s on an unfamiliar street in an unfamiliar town. The area is bleak, the sky gray and threatening rainfall. Tall vertical red-bricked townhouses line the street on either side. Cars are settled against the curb, waiting patiently for their owner’s next trip. Toys are scattered on the porches of several townhouses, as if the children, who play with them, only went inside for a moment.

A confused look falls over Tony’s features. What is up with this town? The brunet glances down at himself, noting that he’s in his civilian attire. He rises to his feet and looks behind him before taking a breath. He’s alone in what seems to be an abandoned town. He doesn’t have his armor, the Avengers are nowhere in sight, and all he wants is for Steve to tell him everything is going to be alright.

Tony sighs. He needs to clear his mind and focus on the present. First, he has to figure out where he is. Once he establishes his location, he can figure out how to contact the team so they can come and find him. Then, after they’re reunited, they can investigate the town, and try to piece together where the people went.

With his task in place, Tony begins heading down the street in search of anything that can tell him what town this is. As he walks, he notes the silence—absolute, terrifying silence; the kind of quiet that could drive a sane person mad. The only sound for miles is the sound of Tony’s footsteps against the asphalt. Not even the wind is howling.

Tony involuntarily shivers and wraps his arms around himself at the sudden chill in the air. Something is wrong—he can feel it. The brunet gulps as he quickens his pace. He needs to find his location and contact the team fast. If he doesn’t . . . who knows what could happen.

After a few more minutes of walking, Tony reaches a park. It’s beautiful, even in these overcast conditions. He walks up the stairway in front of him and glances around at the scenery. Lush, green grass scans the horizon as far as the eye can see. Flowers, trees, and bushes, all in full bloom, surround a small area in front of him that has a small fountain placed in the center. A large, beautiful light brown-bricked bell tower stands in the distance. Just like the street he was just on, the entire park is eerily silent, save for the water streaming constantly from the tip of the fountain.

Tony walks down the small stairway in front of him. He steps around the fountain, fully prepared to search the entire park when he spots a familiar patriotic uniform near the bell tower in the distance.

Is that . . . Steve?

The brunet feels a pang of hope surge through his being. He slowly makes his way to person in the uniform. A smile crosses his features, as he gets closer. That’s Steve’s uniform. It’s Steve. He’s here!

Tony smiles, feeling relieved. He’s not alone in this creepy ass town, and if anyone can help him out of this situation, it’s Captain Motherfucking America. The billionaire breaks into a run, calling Steve’s name.

As he approaches the blond, the smile falls out Tony’s face. Something is wrong—horribly wrong. Steve is laying on his back in front of the bell tower, unmoving and not responding to Tony’s shouts.

Fear floods through Tony as he reaches Steve’s side, immediately dropping to his knees. He places both hands on Steve’s face and recoils at the chill coming off the other man’s skin.

“No, no, no, no. Not him. Please, not him,” Tony says as he rubs his thumbs across Steve’s cheeks, trying to bring some warmth to the man’s body. He sniffles as tears well up in his eyes. “You can’t be dead—you can’t. You’re . . . you’re supposed to tell me that everything is going to be okay. You’re supposed too, dammit!”

Tony’s not sure if he is imagining this, but he hears what sound like footsteps in the distance. At this point, he couldn’t care less who it is; nothing matters now that Steve isn’t here anymore. Tony's thumbs stroke gently over Steve’s face, which is a ghostly pale color.

“You’re so cold,” he whispers even though he knows his boyfriend can’t hear him. The other man was always so warm. His blue eyes would dance with amusement every time Tony would mention this fact. The blond would then laugh and proceed to circle his arms around the genius, his warmth wrapping around Tony like a blanket.

A lone tear falls down Tony’s face, followed closely by another. He leans forward and lays a gentle kiss on Steve’s cold lips. He pulls away a moment later, and quickly glances over his lover’s face trying to memorize every detail.

Tony bites his lip. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” he chokes out before laying his forehead against Steve’s chest and sobbing.

Footsteps are approaching Tony, he knows for sure this time. He doesn’t care. What’s the point of being here if Steve isn’t?

The being halts in front of Tony. “This is sad, even for you, Stark.”

Tony’s head whips upward. He knows that voice. The philanthropist’s eyes narrow as he glares into the eyes of the Red Skull.

Skull smirks at Tony’s glare. “Hello, Stark. Did you like the present I left for you?”

“What the fuck did you do to him?” Tony demands, fury coursing through him.

“Me?” Skull replies, feigning innocence. “Why, I did nothing to him!” A smirk crawls over his face. “Let’s just say that old age finally took over.”

Tony shakes his head angrily and scrambles to his feet. “You son of a bitch; you’ll pay for this.”

Skull tilts his head to the side and gives Tony a curious look. “Oh? And what do you suppose you’ll be able to do. I mean, you couldn’t even save your precious _Captain_.” He pauses for a moment to glare accusingly at Steve’s body before turning his gaze back to Tony. “What makes you think that you can defeat me?”

“I’ll find a way. I’m a genius, remember?” Tony says confidently, his stance screaming with defiance.

“A genius?” Skull sneers. “For a genius, you sure are stupid.”

“What are you talking about?” Tony says in a curious tone.

“This is supposed to happen, Stark!” Skull exclaims, voice filled with glee. He raises his arms to the sky. “Captain America is supposed to die!”

Tony freezes, his eyes going wide.

Red Skull smirks before lowering his hands. “No matter what you do, we’ll always end up here.” Skull’s smirk widens. He steps over Steve’s body and approaches Tony.

Tony tries scrambling away only for his back to hit the wall of the bell tower. He has no idea how he’s going to win against Skull. He doesn’t have the team for back up. And he _still_ doesn’t have his suit. _Where the fuck is his armor?_

Skull pulls a sickle off his back, resting the blade against Tony’s neck. The Red Man’s smirk widens. “We’ll always have Frederick,” he says before striking.

Tony shoots awake screaming, unknowingly startling his partner into consciousness. The engineer immediately places his head between his knees, trying to control his panicked breathing. The images of his nightmare play throughout his mind, as though they are trying to become reality. Tony gulps; he runs his hand over the arc reactor, checking to make sure the device is still functioning properly.

After a few moments, he deems the reactor to be in working order. Tony takes a deep breath before finally registering the comforting touch on his back. He leans into it, imagining the worried crease Steve is likely sporting between his brow.

Tony takes another breath, feeling himself beginning to calm down, even though he can’t stop shaking. “Steve . . . I . . .”

Steve gently shushes Tony. “It’s okay, Tony. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.”

The billionaire lifts his head from between his knees, and looks at the blank wall in front of him. He can’t look at Steve—not yet. “No, I need to . . . I was dreaming I was in some town in the middle of nowhere. It was creepy—worse than those stupid doll movies that Clint tries to get us to watch. I was alone, and trying to find out where I was when—”

Tony cuts him off, trying to figure out how he’s going to say this next part without freaking the fuck out of Steve. He takes a shaky breath, knowing that he’s going to just have to go for it. “I . . . I saw you dead.”

The brunet pauses for a moment to collect himself. “Skull was there, smirking like the bastard he is. He did it—I didn’t see him do it, but I know it was him.”

Steve remains silent, continuing to rub Tony’s back in a comforting manner.

“I can’t lose you, Steve. I can’t,” the brunet says before taking another shaky breath. “I can’t.”

“And you won’t,” Steve says, softly. He gently nudges Tony’s arm, “Hey, look at me.”

The blond continues to nudge Tony until the other man is facing him. Tony looks into Steve’s eyes, seeing nothing but love in those blue orbs.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be here, Tony,” Steve says.

“You promise?” Tony wants to kick himself for how needy he sounds.

Steve leans forward, and places a chaste kiss on Tony’s lips. “I promise.”

Tony lets a small smile cross his features, feeling touched at how genuine Steve sounds. He’s dating the best guy in the world.

The blond returns the smile before motioning to the bed. “Come on. Let’s get some rest.”

Steve lies down first, holding his arms open. Tony follows, resting his face in the crook of Steve’s neck. Tony feels the blond’s arms wrap around him, feeling warmth, protection, and love radiating off the other male. The brunet snuggles closer to Steve, entwining his own arms around his boyfriend’s torso. Tony sighs, content, as the images from his dream start to fade into the recesses of his mind.

The soldier kisses the top of Tony’s head. “I love you.”

Tony gives another small smile, even though Steve can’t see it. “I love you too,” he replies before falling into a dreamless sleep.

**

The next morning, Tony awakens to find Steve already up and running his eyes over his lover’s features, absently stroking Tony’s cheek with one hand. A lazy smile crosses Tony’s features and he yawns.

Steve smiles when he meets Tony’s eyes. “You’re beautiful.”

Tony snorts before grinning. “You’re not so bad yourself, hot stuff.”

The blond’s smile widens before he leans forward and gives Tony a quick peck before furrowing his brow. “Are you going to be okay being here?” he asks, referring to the nightmare the brunet had last night.

“Honestly? I have no idea,” Tony responds. He hasn’t had a nightmare since he and Steve got together. Why the sudden would he be having nightmares again? Maybe these trials and this house are getting to him more than he originally thought. “Maybe once I get back into the lab, and on a schedule, I’ll be alright.”

“A proper schedule,” Steve agrees, still looking concerned. “Complete with three meals and eight hours of rest.”

Tony lets out a small laugh before capturing Steve’s mouth again.

“I’m going to hop in the shower,” Steve says when they part. “Are you going to join me?”

“In a minute. I want to look around first.”

“Fair enough,” the blond says. He kisses Tony’s forehead before climbing out of bed and disappearing into the bathroom.

Tony adjusts his position so he’s sitting with his back against the pillows and looks around the room. There isn’t much here at the moment. To Tony’s left there is a fireplace placed in the center of the wall, with two large windows on either side that give a spectacular view of the backyard. Above the fireplace is a painting Steve did of the New York skyline at sunrise (one of Tony’s personal favorites, aside from his portrait, of course).

Directly in front of Tony is the door to leave their room, a large television resting on top of a black wooden dresser. On the right are the doors to the bathroom and to the closet. The doors are right next to each other, and Tony is hoping that he doesn’t mix up the two in the middle of the night.

Next to the bathroom door is a blank wall. The brunet remembers Steve mentioning on the phone that would be the perfect spot for a bookshelf. Personally, Tony thinks is would be a great place to display the art Steve has given him. The blond had immediately fallen silent and Tony could hear his embarrassment over the line, more so when he said “you kept those?” in a tiny voice.

Tony smiles to himself when he hears the shower starting. The billionaire sighs, throwing the covers off himself and deciding to get the day started.

**

Thirty minutes, and a round of sex later, Tony and Steve climb out of the shower, dry off, and dress. Tony makes a mental note to go shopping later. After all, he can’t live off of Shield hand-me-downs forever.

When the pair finishes dressing, they exit their room and head for the elevator. Tony looks around with a furrowed brow, unfamiliar with these surroundings. “Steve, are we on the third floor?” he asks. If that’s the case, it would explain why Tony doesn’t recognize the area. The brunet didn’t come up here when he was younger, mainly because this was a storage floor and all of his items were easily divided between his bedroom and the lab.

“Yeah, we moved everything that was up here to the second floor,” Steve answers, as he presses the button for the elevator. “I figured it would be good storage space.”

Tony smiles. He has a feeling that JARVIS told Steve about where in the mansion he grew up, because Tony never told the blond. That sneaky Brit—the brunet knew there was a reason he kept JARVIS around. “I love you,” he says to Steve before pulling the man into a kiss.

“And I love you too, JARVIS,” Tony adds when they part.

_“Does not compute,”_ JARVIS says as the elevator doors open.

“Did you just make a joke?” Tony says in an amused tone.

_“Indeed,”_ the AI responds. _“I would like to add that I am quite fond of you as well, sir.”_

Tony smiles as he wraps both arms around Steve’s bicep and rests his head against his boyfriend’s shoulder. He feels Steve press a kiss against his hair as the elevator arrives downstairs.

The pair exit and head to the kitchen where all the Avengers are present. Bruce and Thor are in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone. Bucky and Nat are sitting side by side at the table. The former has his head resting against the table while Nat is poking him in the shoulder with a fork. Clint is sitting at the counter talking with Rhodey. The archer only appears to be half listening to what the other man is saying for he is glaring at the box of donuts in Rhodes’s hands that he’s not allowed to eat yet.

Wait . . .

“Fruit roll up?” Tony questions. He lets go of Steve, and walks over to his friend.

Rhodey turns away from the glaring Clint and smiles. “Tones!” he says holding out his arms for a hug.

Tony embraces his friend for a moment before stepping back and lightly punching Rhodey in the arm.

Rhodey snorts. “When did you get back?”

“Yesterday, where were you?” Tony asks.

“I was at Shield. There was a meeting with the higher ups on how we’re going to explain the attack on the Avengers to the public,” Rhodey says before lightly hitting Tony back. “You know I wouldn’t miss your homecoming unless it was something important.”

“I suppose I can accept your apology, even though it is lame,” Tony teases.

Rhodey smiles and ruffles Tony’s hair, which causes the brunet to squawk.

“Can I eat the donuts yet?” Clint asks loudly.

“No,” Bruce and Rhodey say at the same time.

“You’ll spoil your breakfast,” Bruce continues. “Thor and I worked very hard on this meal.”

“Plus, you won’t save any for the rest of us,” Rhodey adds.

“I have a thirst for donuty goodness that cannot be quenched,” Clint says in a dramatic tone.

“Quench it with some eggs, breakfast is done,” Bruce says.

Clint, Rhodey, and Tony leave the counter to join Bucky, Steve, and Natasha at the table.

Steve shakes Bucky. “C’mon, Buck, wake up.”

“I am awake, mom,” Bucky responds, sounding half-asleep.

Tony exchanges a look with Steve, who goes back to shaking Bucky, while Tony sits across from him.

“James Buchanan, wake up this instant,” Steve says in a slightly more demanding tone.

“Buchanan?” Clint questions, amused. Natasha frowns at him.

“I was named after the fifteenth president, you ass,” Bucky responds, sounding like he is about to pass out again. “And you can piss off as well, Steven . . .”

Steve furrows his brow in confusion. When Bucky begins snoring softly, the blond’s expression turns into one that can be best described as “Bucky, I am so done with your shit.”

“Fine,” Steve says. “I’ll eat your portion.”

“The fuck you won’t,” Bucky says, jolting up in his chair so hard that he almost falls off. When Bruce places a plate of food in front of Bucky, he hunches over his meal protectively, eating slowly, and glaring at Steve.

Steve simply smirks.

“So, is it—?”

“Not donut time,” Rhodey answers before thanking Bruce for his plate.

After all the plates are passed out and everyone seated, the Avengers eat their meal in relative silence, more focused on getting food in their stomachs.

Sometime into the meal, Rhodey turns to Clint, who is sitting on his left and says, “Did I forget to tell you that the box of donuts is for you?”

“Really?” Clint asks through a mouthful of egg.

“Ugh,” Natasha says disgusted. “Would you chew your food?”

Clint responds by turning to the redhead across from him and sticking out his tongue showing off his chewed food. Natasha scowls and kicks him from underneath the table. The archer yelps, but closes his mouth and swallows his food before turning his back to Rhodey.

“Yeah, all for you,” Rhodey repeats.

The archer lets out a victory screech before grabbing the box and returning to the table. As soon as he opens the box, the donuts explode in his face, covering the man in batter, frosting, and sprinkles.

The other Avengers burst into laughter while Clint sets the box down and wipes off his face with a napkin. Rhodey calms his laughter before pulling out an envelope from his pocket and handing it to Clint. The archer takes the envelope and opens it before reading he card inside. “Take that, you crusty bitch. Love, Coulson.” Clint sighs. “Fuck.”

“What the hell was that all about?” Nat asks, curiously. The look on her face says she already knows, but she wants to hear Clint say it.

Clint sighs. “Coulson and I are in the middle of a prank war. He’s taken his sweet old time with his turn.”

“Well, that explains why you needed so much lard,” Bruce says.

“And with that, I’m heading down to the lab, and I’m bringing my food with me,” Tony adds after getting a look from Steve. “JARVIS, prepare the lab.”

_“Right away sir,”_ the A.I. responds.

“I’ll catch up with you later?” the brunet says to Steve.

“Of course,” Steve responds before quickly bringing their mouths together.

“Ew, mom and dad are kissing at the table,” Bucky teases, while Clint laughs and Natasha hides a smirk behind her hand.

Tony rolls his eyes before picking up an orange off the table and tossing it at Bucky’s head. The latter catches the orange in his mouth and throws his hands up in the air in triumph. Tony snorts before grabbing his plate and heading out of the kitchen, so he can take the elevator down to his childhood workshop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dream scene was inspired by the Supernatural episode “The End” (season 5, episode 4) which is one of my favorite episodes. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, even though it was on the shorter side!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've edited this like five times and I think I'm finally satisfied with how this chapter turned out. 
> 
> Warning: mention of past trauma

Tony arrives in his childhood lab, a place he hasn’t been to in at least twenty years. The brunet enters the lab, looking around at the finished and unfinished experiments of his youth. He remembers the lab used to be one of his safe havens where he could escape from his broken family.

The only person Tony willingly let into this space was Jarvis, who came down every day to watch him invent and inquire knowledge about what the young master was building. In fact, the butler was present when Tony first built Dummy. He smiles; Tony doesn’t think he’ll ever forget the look of absolute pride on Jarvis’s face when the robot made his first movements.

Most days spent in the lab are good memories—happy times that Tony looks back on fondly. Some days, however, Howard would force his way in, usually while drunk, hurling insults at Tony while destroying any experiments left out in the open. Whenever this happened, Tony would hide in the cupboard, hoping that his angry father never found him. On these days, no matter how scared Tony was, he would force his way upstairs to dinner so not to anger his father further nor worry Jarvis.

Tony narrows his eyes at the last memory, before shaking his head and clearing his mind. Thinking about Howard now isn’t going to do him any good, especially since the brunet is pretty sure he still has a stash of liquor hidden down here and he hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol since Steve consoled him after Tony and Pepper had that huge fight.

_“Sir, are you alright?”_

“I’m fine. Let’s get to work,” Tony says, as he stands in front of the lab table that has Dummy’s remains scattered across the glass surface. “I’m hoping I can get Dummy functional again so I can start rebuilding my armor. Do I still have the spare suit?”

_“It’s in your usual limo, sir.”_

“Excellent, I’ll have Happy drop it off later then.”

JARVIS doesn’t respond.

Tony stays silent, and decides to get working on repairing Dummy. The brunet feels bad for his bot—the poor thing didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire of the Avengers battle with Skull and Hydra.

Two hours later, he puts the final additions on Dummy and watches with a smile as the robot comes back to life.

Dummy raises his robotic arm, chirping curiously and looking at his surroundings before turning to Tony. The robot makes a happy sound and nuzzles his maker’s arm with his robotic claw. Tony smiles and pats the robot, fondly. “Good to have you back, buddy.”

_“Sir, Mistress Romanov is requesting entry.”_

“Let her in,” Tony says. He turns away from Dummy, who is rolling around the lab happily, to look at Natasha. “Hey.”

“Hey, Clint and I are taking Bucky shopping and were wondering if you wanted to come?” Nat says. “Also, Rhodey called and said that he’s moving in permanently. He’s bringing the rest of his things over tonight.”

“I was wondering if sugar cake was going to move in for good,” Tony says with a smile. “How did you convince Bucky to go shopping though? It’s one of the many things he loves to procrastinate on.”

Natasha smirks. “I have my ways.”

Tony snorts as he grabs a rag off the table and starts wiping his hands off. “I’ll go with you guys, for sure. This is my last pair of clean clothes and I got them from Coulson.”

The assassin laughs. “Aw, you don’t Shield’s hand-me-downs?”

He shudders. “Not one bit.”

“Well, it’s good that you’re on board. We can take the minivan.”

The brunet gives Natasha a surprised look. “The minivan survived?”

“Yeah; Cap had her fished out of the wreckage and fixed her up himself,” Nat answers with a grin.

“I can’t wait to see her,” Tony says, tossing the rag onto the table. “Let’s go,” he adds before following Natasha out of the lab.

**

The four Avengers arrive at the shops on Fifth Avenue twenty minutes later. Tony puts the minivan in park and sighs. While he’s thrilled that their vehicles managed to survive the attack, he wishes the Tower could have survived as well.

Tony turns to Bucky, who is sitting in the passenger’s side looking around the area with wonder. “I have something for you.”

“What is it?” Bucky asks. He takes the card Tony is holding out to him and looks it over.

“A Stark Card, it’s linked up to a private account that only you and Pepper, my former assistant and the CEO of my company, have access to. I had her make one up after you passed out on me while we were on the plane. She sounded exhausted. I don’t think she’s slept in a while.” Tony shakes his head trying to get back on track. “Anyway, with this you won’t have to worry about money, and Pep will let you know if you’re spending too much.”

“Thank you, Tony,” Bucky says with a genuine smile. “It still doesn’t change the fact that I hate shopping.”

“Let’s do it anyway, whoo!”Clint exclaims before leaping out of the van and running towards Louis Vuitton.

“Clint calm down before you get banned from here too,” Tony says, exiting the car with Bucky and Nat.

“Banned?” Bucky questions.

“It’s a long story,” Natasha says before linking her arm with Bucky’s.

Inside Louis Vuitton, Tony separates himself from Nat and Bucky to search for Clint, stopping along the way to grab a few items for his wardrobe. The brunet finally finds Clint hovering by a coat rack and looking at something in the distance.

Tony rolls his eyes before joining the archer. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Shh! Get down!” Clint exclaims in a hushed tone. He grabs Tony by his shirtsleeve and pulls him down so he’s hiding behind the coat rack.

Tony sighs. "Clint--”

“Shh! Be quiet or they’ll hear you!” Clint says before peaking over the coat rack.

“Who will?” Tony asks, mimicking his teammate’s quiet tone.

“Bucky and Nat.”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because I have something to tell you, and Nat would kill me if I told. Well, if she finds out.”

“What?” Tony whispers.

“I think Nat has a crush on Bucky.”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “How do you know?” 

“I mean, I don’t know for sure. I still have some more investigating to do, but while you two were in the hospital, she wondered about Bucky a lot,” Clint says. “I know that doesn’t mean she has a crush, but Nat rarely worries people she doesn’t know well. And even though Bucky is a cool guy, despite the fact that he cheats at poker, we don’t know him as well as you and Steve.”

Clint does make a good point. Natasha isn’t one to openly express her emotions, even around people she trusts, and she’s always in control of her actions. The first time Tony saw the assassin lose any semblance of that control was after she almost died in England and when he was trapped in his suit and everyone was so overwhelmed they couldn’t get away to help her.

“You should try this one,” Natasha says, which draw Tony and Clint's gazes to her. She and Bucky are standing together near the store entrance, with Nat holding out a dark purple shirt to the man. “We’ll have to see if any of the changing rooms are—and you’re pulling your shirt off in the middle of the store.”

“What?” Bucky says with a lopsided grin. “Is there a problem?”

“Not at all,” Natasha responds before handing Bucky the shirt.

Tony grins amused. The brunet would give anything to see Natasha’s face.

“Shit, Bucky’s a babe,” Clint exclaims in a hushed tone.

“Clint, close your mouth, you’re going to attract bugs.”

“ _Dude_ , look at him! If Nat doesn’t hit that, _I_ will.”

The billionaire has to cover his mouth to prevent himself from howling with laughter.

“Let me help you with that,” Natasha says after Bucky completely pulls on the other shirt. She begins running her hands over to the arms to smooth out the wrinkles, lingering on his biceps and pecks.

Tony smiles to himself, as he watches Nat interact with Bucky. Some of the moves she is pulling reminds of him of the numerous embarrassing things he did when he was originally trying to get with Steve.

“Hey, did you see where Clint and Tony went?” Bucky asks curiously as he changes back into his original shirt.

“I didn’t, actually,” Nat says as she turns her head to look around the store.

“Oh shit,” Clint says in whispered panic. “We gotta look busy!” The archer looks around before pulling a black military style coat off the rack and thrusting it at Tony. “Here try this one.”

Tony snorts, amused, but tries on the coat. “What do you think?” he says, spinning around in a complete circle.

“I like it. No, really, I do,” Clint adds at Tony’s doubting look. “I think Steve would like it too. He seems like the guy with a military kink.”

“You have no idea,” Tony says before laughing at Clint’s shocked expression. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

Clint’s expression relaxes.

“He’s more into being tied up,” Tony responds before laughing in his friend’s face again.

“Will you—I didn’t need to know that about—come on man,” Clint says, defeated.

“There you guys are,” Natasha says as she and Bucky join the two men beside the coat rack. She furrows her brow. “What’s going on?”

“Tony thinks traumatizing me is funny,” Clint says with a frown.

“This is Tony, Clinton, it shouldn’t surprise you,” Natasha says. “Now, come on. Let’s head out and search some more stores. I saw a shoe sale at Chanel.”

Clint shrugs. “Alright.”

Tony and Bucky pay for their items before heading out of the store. The group of four continues shopping around for about twenty more minutes before Bucky and Tony are overwhelmed with bags from various stores. Clint and Natasha have also acquired few bags of their own.

“I think I’m good,” Tony says before turning to Bucky. “You?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Bucky responds.

“Awesome, let’s go back to the mansion,” Clint says. “I want to teach Bucky how to play Wii.”

Bucky gives the archer a confused look. “Wii?”

**

That night, Tony lays in bed unable to sleep. The brunet sighs. He thought that the nightmare, shopping, and playing Wii against Bucky’s cheating ass would have tired him out, but evidently, that was not the case. Tony looks to his right and sees Steve passed out beside him, with his features relaxed and breathing steady. He smiles; his boyfriend is the cutest thing on the planet—no, in the universe.

Tony’s smile turns into a frown and he sighs again. He’s wide awake and he knows if he keeps laying here without sleeping, he’s going to get irritated and break something (it’s happened far more times than Pepper would like to admit). Usually when he’s awake like this, he would go down to the lab and tinker, but for some reason, he doesn’t have the urge to go downstairs.

The brunet pauses to think before an idea hits him. He could go to the roof. When he was younger, Tony always found refuge there especially during those times when he couldn’t stand being in the house after a particularly nasty spat with Howard.

With this goal in mind, Tony carefully slips out of bed, taking extra care not to wake Steve. The blond shifts in his sleep and mutters the brunet’s name, but otherwise doesn’t awaken. Tony smiles to himself before pulling on his clothes from yesterday and heading for the roof.

When the genius arrives, he is immediately hit with the sounds and sights of New York City at night. Tony closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, taking in the scent of his hometown. The billionaire opens his eyes after a few moments before discovering that he isn’t alone on the roof. There’s another figure sitting on the edge, silently observing their surroundings.

Tony furrows his brow, approaching the figure cautiously before realizing the mystery figure is Bucky. He sits down next to the man, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere, but also wanting to know if everything is all right with his friend.

He bites his lip, trying to think of a way to break the calm aura surrounding them. “Nice night.”

“Yeah,” Bucky responds, not taking his gaze away from the city.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m really glad to be back in New York.”

“Same.”

Tony frowns. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Bucky sighs. “No, I’ve . . . just been having a hard time adjusting, is all.”

“You could talk to Steve about that,” Tony suggests, deciding not to call out Bucky for his obvious lie. The man sitting next to him has had an easier adjustment to the modern world than Steve did. Then again, the Avengers got to Bucky first and successfully kept him away from Shield’s prying hands.

“I can’t, it would . . . it’s nothing he should concern himself with.”

Tony gives Bucky a concerned look. He feels like he can almost get the other man to start opening up. “You should to talk to someone, even if it's not Steve.”

“Can I talk with you?” Bucky asks, turning to Tony. The poor man looks like he hasn’t slept properly in weeks. How has Tony not seen this before?

“I’m not the best at this sort of thing,” Tony warns.

“Would you be willing to listen anyway?” Bucky says with slight desperation in his voice.

Tony nods his head. “Yeah.”

“It’s, um, not about adjusting to all this modernization.” Bucky returns his gaze back to the city. “I lied before about how much I remembered. I remember most of it: the experiments, the missions, being frozen for years at a time, and all the people I . . . I can hear the screams of the people I murdered ringing in my ears. I can see them whenever I close my eyes.”

He shakes his head. “You wanna hear something that’s really fucked up? The memories that were triggered by Skull in England. I was the one who captured Dennis. I was the one who tortured him, killed him, and then disposed of his body. He acted as if everything was cool. He pretended to be my friend, or some equivalent, to get information from me. He used me . . . everyone did.”

Bucky pauses running a hand through his hair. “I just feel so stupid, you know? The Russian’s used me for their own twisted game. When I tried fighting against them, they continuously wiped my mind, thinking that I would forget and just be a mindless little puppet for the rest of my life. All I did was stop fighting. The less I fought, the less I was tortured.”

“I am just _so tired_ of living this way. Every night I wake up in a panic, fearing that everything that’s happened in the past four and a half months is a dream and that I’m going to be back in that frozen tube with my next target already programmed into my brain.” Bucky sighs, sounding exhausted. “It would have been better, for everyone, if I just died during the war. Why couldn’t I have just died?”

Tony gulps, glancing over Bucky’s torn features, unable to process everything that he was told. The brunet has been suspicious that Bucky has been lying about his memories since the beginning, but he had no idea how haunted the other man is by his past. Tony takes a breath, trying to work out the best words to respond with.

“When I first met Steve, he told me I reminded him of you.” After the Battle of New York, Tony confronted Steve about why he hated him so much. Steve responded that he didn’t hate Tony, but the brunet so many similarities to Bucky (from the way he made his presence known to calling him “Stevie”) that he didn’t know how to act around him. “That remains to this day the highest compliment that I have ever received.”

Bucky’s head whirls to Tony, meeting the other man’s eyes for the first time since his confession, with a shocked look on his face.

“You are cared for and valued by so many, but by no one more than Steve.” Tony glances over Bucky’s features. The former soldier looks like he’s about to cry. “You need to tell him everything you just told me.”

“I can’t,” Bucky says, voice cracking on the last word. “He won’t . . . what if he doesn’t . . .”

“Bucky, he’s your best friend. He knows you, he loves you,” Tony says gently. “You need to tell him.”

Bucky tries to respond, but a choked sob escapes his lips. Tony opens is arms and Bucky falls into them, openly crying against his shoulder. The brunet holds his friend tight, resting his chin on top of the other man’s head.

**

Tony wakes up the next morning alone. He places his hand on the spot where Steve normally lies only to find the area cold, indicating that the blond has been gone for a while. Maybe he went for a run.

“JARVIS, what time is it?”

_“Ten in the morning, sir.”_

The brunet purses his lips, as his thoughts drift back to last night. After Bucky had apologized numerously for letting himself cry—and Tony repeatedly told the man that it was okay to cry, despite the fact his statement makes him a huge hypocrite—the pair stayed on the roof talking and watching the sunrise, which caused them to remember what time it was. They then bid each other good night (“Well, technically, I should be saying good morning since it is like six, but you get me,” Bucky had said with a small smile).

“Did Bucky get any sleep?”

_“Master Barnes had a total of approximately twenty minutes of rest prior to going to the roof.”_

“And over the course of the week?”

_“Approximately one hour in total.”_

“Oh, that is not good.” This information in combination with what he learned last night, explains why Bucky is either dozing or passed out at random times throughout the day: it is out of pure exhaustion.

Tony feels horrible; he should have known, should have looked for the signs, especially considering his own struggle with sleepless nights. He even shared a hospital room with Bucky, for fuck’s sake. Then again, he never actually did see the other man sleep, aside from maybe two or three times where he passed out. The former soldier was always awake when Tony went to bed and awake when he woke back up. It didn’t occur to Tony that Bucky may not have gone to sleep at _all_.

_“Shall I recommend any medications to Master Barnes?”_

“No, his serum is like Steve’s and medication doesn’t work. I was able to confirm that in the hospital, but we should scan his brainwaves again just to make sure everything is still working properly.”

_“Sir, in order for a more in depth analysis, we would need to bring him down to the lab.”_

“The last time I mentioned scanning him, he was suspicious. Since I know his past is bothering him, and while he was fine in the hospital, being hooked up to wires and machines _in a laboratory_ could be a potential trigger that could cause a violent reaction. I don’t want to put him through that.”

_“What do you suggest sir?”_

“Prep the lab for now. I’m going to be heading down after breakfast.”

_“Very well, sir.”_

Tony throws the covers off his body, and climbs out of bed. He takes a quick shower, dresses, and leaves his room, heading for the elevator.

After he exits the elevator on the first floor, Tony spots Steve and Bucky sitting close together in the sitting room. The blond’s back is to Tony so he can’t see the man’s expression, but he does see Bucky’s, and it looks like they’re having the conversation Tony advised him too.

When Bucky finishes speaking, he’s immediately pulled into a hug, wrapping his arms tight around his friend’s torso. Bucky looks up and meets Tony’s eyes, mouthing the words “thank you.”

Tony gives the man a tight smile and a nod before heading into the kitchen where he finds Natasha making breakfast. The genius raises an eyebrow. “You’re making breakfast?”

“Only for Bucky; I’m assuming one of you told him about my world famous chocolate chip pancakes because he asked if I could make them,” Natasha says with a small smile.

“Ooh,” Clint teases from his perch on the counter next to the stove. _“For Bucky.”_

Natasha responds by picking up her coffee and pouring it in Clint’s lap. The archer screams and falls on the ground, writhing in pain.

Tony rolls his eyes and throws Clint a towel before making his own cup of coffee.

Bruce comes into the kitchen, running a hand through his wet hair and nodding to the others. He opens the fridge and pulls out the leftover Chinese from a few days ago, deciding to reheat the food in the oven.

Clint moans. “I am in so much pain.”

“Aw, Clint, did you have an accident?” Bucky teases as he and Steve joins the others in the kitchen.

“Fuck off, Barnes.”

“Hey, be nice to him,” Steve scolds.

“Yeah, be nice to me, birdy,” Bucky says before plopping down in a chair and kicking his feet onto the table.

Steve sighs before pushing his friend’s feet onto the ground. “Dude we eat there,” he says before sitting next to his friend.

“Are Rhodey and Thor going to be joining us?” Bruce asks.

“Yeah, they’ll be down soon,” Natasha answers, as she transfers the pancakes to a plate. “Bucky, I finished the pancakes. I hope you like them.”

“They were made by you, so I’m sure they’re delicious. Thank you,” Bucky says as he accepts the plate from the assassin.

Natasha clears her throat. “You’re welcome.”

Bucky returns to his seat, and happily munches on his food, letting out satisfied moans.

The assassin smiles to herself before glaring at Tony, who’s been standing next to her, challenging the man to say something.

Tony raises an eyebrow and sips his coffee, but doesn’t say anything. Natasha is taking tips right out of the “Tony Stark: How to Woo a Man” Manual. The only difference is that when Tony tried making Steve breakfast, he nearly burned the Tower down, which is the reason why he is no longer on breakfast duty.

Rhodey and Thor come down just as the food is finished reheating in the oven. Bruce announces breakfast and everyone joins Bucky and Steve at the table, with Clint being the last one to be seated, seeing as his balls were still in pain. The archer still hasn’t learned that one does not simply tease Natasha Romanov without some sort of repercussion.

After everyone is seated and the plates passed out, the team begins chowing down.

“You know, in all the time we’ve been together, we have never taken a team photo,” Nat says suddenly at some point during the meal.

“Do you think we should take one?” Tony asks.

“I do,” Natasha says with a small nod.

“My camera and tripod are in the living room,” Steve says. “We can use that.”

“Excellent, it’s settled,” Natasha says with a smile.

The Avengers finish their meal, and place their dishes in the sink to be washed later. Steve goes into the living room to get his camera equipment, while Natasha ushers the others into the entryway. The Captain returns a few moments later, passing his gear to the assassin, while he helps settle the Avengers.

“Why are we doing this?” Clint questions, while trying to open the box of chocolates he swiped from the kitchen counter.

“Because I want a team photo to hang in the living room,” Natasha says. She finishes setting up the camera on its tripod and is now attempting to get everyone to stay still.

“Too bad Pepper couldn’t be here,” Tony says. “May she rest in peace.”

Natasha frowns. “She’s not dead.”

“I know, but the poor thing hasn’t slept in over forty hours . . . I’m a bad influence,” Tony says with pride in his voice. Rhodey sighs.

“Thor, put down the pop tart.”

“But they are the most delicious treats I have tasted in all the realms . . .”

“Clint, put your shirt back on!”

“If Thor can be half naked than so can I.”

“At least Thor pulls it off well.”

“What did you say to me, _Barnes_?”

“I’m setting the timer,” she says with an eye roll before moving into frame. “The picture is going to be taken in three . . .”

Bucky sneezes.

“Dude, watch where you’re aiming,” Steve complains as he wipes off his arm.

“Not sorry.”

“Two . . .”

“Clint, stop eating all the chocolate. I bought that for the _entire_ team.”

“One . . .”

“Rhodey, get back here! You can’t escape the photo!”

“Watch me!”

“Cheese!”

The photo turns out horrible, but it doesn’t stop Natasha from buying the largest version she possibly could and hanging it in the living room. Out of all the photos the Avengers have taken together in later months, this first one always remained their favorite.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys don’t mind two updates in the same week! Lol Enjoy!

_Three months later . . ._

Ring. Ring. Ring.

“Hello?”

“Stark? This is Loki.”

“Loki?” Tony furrows his eyebrows in confusion before slowly sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He turns to look at the digital clock on his nightstand. “It’s five in the morning.”

“I am aware, and I would not have called if this matter wasn’t urgent.”

Tony pinches the bridge of his nose and blinks his eyes repeatedly in an effort to stay awake. “I see your point. What’s wrong?”

“I cannot get in contact with Director Fury.”

That comment gets Tony’s attention. Whenever someone calls, Fury always answers the phone, even if it’s just to tell the caller to piss off.

“When was the last time you spoke with him?” Tony asks, curiously.

“Yesterday morning; I was trying to see if he would let me leave headquarters, and he told me to scram, which was quite rude of him.”

“And you haven’t heard anything since?”

“Unfortunately, no. I have an urgent matter I need to discuss with him and he’s not answering his phone, pager, or email. I fear something may have happened to him.”

He does have many enemies . . . “Alright. Loki, sit tight. The Avengers are on our way.”

“Thank you, Stark. I will meet you when you arrive,” Loki says before hanging up.

Tony sighs and looks down at his phone. “JARVIS wake up the other avengers and tell everyone to meet in the living room.”

_“Right away, sir.”_

Tony turns to Steve, who is surprisingly still asleep, and gently shakes the other man until he shifts and groans. “Steve, wake up, we have a situation.”

“A situation?” Steve asks. “What’s going on?”

“Loki called. He says he’s been trying to contact Fury—for what reason, I don’t know—but he says he can’t get a hold of him.”

“Really? That’s odd,” Steve says, sitting up and looking over at Tony. “He always answers.”

“That’s what I said,” Tony responds. “I’m having JARVIS assemble the others to meet in the living room.”

“Good thinking,” Steve says before climbing out of bed and heading for the closet to grab his uniform. “In the meantime, you should let Coulson know.”

“I’ll text him and have him meet us at Shield,” Tony says, as he opens the messaging on his phone and sending a text to Coulson. He gets a response a few minutes later that says “On my way.”

Tony climbs out of bed, and pulls on the same outfit he wore yesterday—a simple black shirt and blue jeans. He grabs his spare armor suitcase that’s setting next to his bed and turns, seeing that Steve is ready as well. “Let’s go,” he says before leading the way out of their room and towards the elevator.

Tony and Steve take the elevator downstairs and arrive in the living room, where the Avengers are waiting, all looking disheveled and sleepy in their uniforms. Bucky and Clint are dozing on one of the couches. Bruce is sitting in a chair (wearing the pants Tony made that transform with him) and nodding off. Thor is yawning. The only one who looks fully alert is Natasha, who is leaning against one of the couches, but Tony can see in her eyes that she wants nothing more than to go back to sleep.

“Is everyone here?” Steve asks.

“Where’s Rhodey?” Tony asks.

“I’m here,” Rhodes answers. He appears from the kitchen with a burrito in his hand, and ignores Tony’s side eye. “I can’t find the Director on an empty stomach,” he says before taking a bite.

Tony rolls his eyes. “Do you have your armor?”

Rhodey nods and points to the black briefcase resting next to Natasha’s feet.

“Good, we’re all here,” Steve says. “Let’s go. Bucky, Clint, wake up.”

“I am up, mom,” Bucky mumbles. He yawns and stretches before sitting up and forcing his eyes He hits Clint in the stomach with is nonmetal arm, causing the other man to groan.

“Fuck man,” Clint says in a quiet tone. He sits up and stumbles to his feet, smiling at Thor when the man helps steady him.

When Bucky and Bruce rise to their feet, the team follows Steve out of the front door.

**

At Shield, Clint lands and parks the Quinjet in the Helicarrier’s hangar. The Avengers quickly climb off and meet Loki and Coulson, who are standing together not far off. Loki is wearing long sleeved silk green pajamas and his hair in a loose bun. Coulson is wearing his usual pressed gray suit and cream tie.

Loki snorts when the Avengers reach his position. “What took you guys so long?”

“We actually have to drive to the airport to get the Quinjet from my private hangar,” Tony says with a shrug. “You can’t exactly land a plane on the roof of the mansion without some disaster steaming from that decision.”

“I’ve tried reaching the Director’s phone, but with no answer,” Coulson says. “We’ll check his office.”

“We should check his bedroom before his office,” Bucky suggests as the group begins making their way through Shield. When Coulson gives him a curious look, he adds, “What? It’s like six in the morning and a man _does_ need his beauty rest.”

“Fair enough,” Coulson agrees. “We’ll start there instead.”

“Oh! We’ll get to see Fury’s bedroom,” Clint says. “I wonder if it will be neat like his hairdo.”

“Remind me to laugh when we find the director,” Coulson deadpans.

“I thought it was funny,” Rhodey says. “For amateur hour.”

“Man, fuck you, I’m funny,” Clint says, offended.

“Whatever you say,” Rhodey says with a disbelieving shrug.

“We’re here,” Coulson announces as he pauses in front of a door labeled “Director Fury: Do Not Enter."

“Director Fury!” Clint shouts before banging on the door. “Are you in there? _Yoo-hoo_!”

The Avengers begin banging on Fury’s door while shouting his name and various insults for around a minute before backing away to see if he answers.

“Thor, break it down,” Clint says.

“You can’t break down the Director’s door,” Coulson objects.

“ _I_ won’t be breaking down the door, Thor will,” Clint says, patting the blond god on his arm and ignoring Coulson’s eye roll.

“This is not going to end well,” Loki says as his brother readies himself to break down the door.

Before Thor can charge, the door flies open and Fury is standing in the doorway looking more pissed than anyone has ever seen. He’s glaring at the Avengers and Coulson with his one good eye, and his mouth turned into a deep frown. Despite this, Tony finds it hard to take the man seriously. The Director is standing in the doorway wearing blue and white striped pajamas and wearing slippers with Cap’s head on them.

Tony looks over at Steve, and sees him barely holding in his laughter. Clint actually lets a snort escape which causes the Director to glare harder.

“Can’t a man get some beauty rest around here!” Fury exclaims, angrily.

“We thought you were dead, you asshole,” Tony says.

“You thought he was dead?” Steve asks confused.

“Well, Loki wasn’t exactly clear,” Tony responds, defending himself.

“Sir, you weren’t answering your phone,” Coulson says.

“My _cell_ phone is broken and was going to get a new one in the morning,” Fury answers, irritated. “You idiots fail to remember, that I have a _landline_ in case of emergencies. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to go back to sleep.”

“Wait a minute. Loki, you never told us why you needed to talk with the Director in the first place,” Natasha says, moving the attention the god.

“I needed to speak with the Director because I’ve figured out the third trial,” Loki says.

“Shit, I guess we’re staying up,” Rhodey says

“Head over to the meeting room. I’ll meet you there,” Fury says before shutting the door in The Avengers faces.

**

In the meeting room, things are tense. The Avengers, Coulson, and Loki are sitting around the table in their usual setting arrangements, restless and fidgeting. Fury arrives after a few minutes with a coat over his pajamas and proper shoes on. He strides to his usual place at the head of the meeting table and sits down in between Coulson and Loki.

Loki pulls out the scroll from his jacket pocket. He unravels it before laying it on the table in front of him. “You have to aid someone from the past. It doesn’t say whom. The only clues the scroll gives are: the year 1951, and Start.”

“Start?” Fury questions.

Loki shrugs. “That’s what it says; who knows what it really means. Asgardian magic works in mysterious ways.”

“Wait, wait. We’re going to be time travelling?” Clint says with a raised eyebrow. “Are you kidding me?”

“I don’t make the rules, bird,” Loki says. “I will conjure up a portal and hope for the best. It will reopen automatically at your location when the trial is complete.”

Tony tenses when Loki mentions a portal. He thought he was through with those after New York, but apparently, the universe has other plans. The brunet feels someone place a hand over his, and he quirks up the corner of his mouth. Steve always knows when Tony needs him, even if he doesn’t say it aloud (and he rarely does).

“Do you have any recommendations on who should go back?” Coulson inquires.

“The bird, the widow, and the two iron lads,” Loki says, giving Tony a knowing look. The raven-haired man knows more about the trial than he’s letting on, Tony is sure of it.

“I don’t care who goes back, as long as it’s not Cap and/or his sidekick,” Fury announces.

“We can’t go?” Steve asks, confused.

“I am not a sidekick,” Bucky says, with an offended huff.

“If what Loki says is true, and the year is 1951, then the two of you are already missing and presumed to be dead. I do not have the time or patience to deal with the repercussions that shit,” Fury responds.

“Then it’s settled,” Loki says with an air of finality.

“Loki, how fast can you conjure up a portal?” Coulson asks.

“At any time,” Loki responds.

“Good. You have one hour to prepare yourselves.” Fury says before leaving the room with Coulson in tow.

“Are you going to be okay with going back Tony?” Steve asks, as soon as the Agents leave.

Tony gulps before nodding. “I’ll be fine.” He looks up and gives Steve a small smile. “I’m gonna make a call. I’ll be right back.”

He stands from his chair and exits the meeting room, shutting the door behind him. He walks a little ways down the hallway before leaning against the wall with a heavy sigh. The brunet pulls out his cell phone and dials a familiar number, in the hopes that talking to one of his oldest friends will help calm him down.

“Tony?”

The brunet cringes. “You sound mad.”

“I am mad,” Pepper says. Tony can hear her frowning. “You haven’t been answering my calls—Rhodey told me you almost died in England.”

“I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Your excuses are getting worse, Mr. Stark.”

“Pepper, can we just . . .”

“Is everything okay?”

“Not really . . .”

“Do I need to fly in from California?”

“When did you go back to California?”

“After the Foundation Ball, Tony, I texted you. Don’t you remember?”

“Uh . . .”

Pepper sighs, heavily. 

“Wait, Pep, just listen, please.”

Tony tells her everything about Loki, the trials, the Avengers having to be separated, that he is going to be a part of the group going back in time, the dream, and worst of all—the portal.

Pepper remains silent the entire time Tony talks. When he finishes speaking, his friend takes a shaky breath. “Does it have to be you?”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t they get someone else?”

“No; Steve and Bucky can’t go back. Whenever Loki is near, Thor refuses to leave his side. We don’t know how The Other Guy will react to being out of this time period—his comfort zone. The same goes with Bruce,” Tony says. “Plus, I can’t let Rhodey go without me. He’s not an engineer and he’s still wearing Hammer Tech. If something happens to his suit, he won’t be able to fix it. They need me, Pep.”

“God, you’re such a good guy, Tony,” Pepper says. She sniffles over the other end, and Tony hopes she’s not crying. “I really don’t want you to have to go through this—especially now that I know the whole story.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Steve doesn’t want me to go either. But, he knows this is something I need to do—I need to face my fears, and I would have had to at some point,” Tony says, more so convincing himself of this fact than Pepper. “Hey, you want me to bring you back a souvenir from the past?”

Pepper laughs. “As long as it’s not one of those stupid foil soap swans that Rhodey collects.”

Tony smiles. “It’s a deal.”

“Be careful, Tony. You better call me when you get back.”

“I will, and thanks for this.”

“No problem,” Pepper responds. Tony can hear the smile in her tone.

“Goodbye, Pep.”

“Goodbye, Tony.”

Tony hangs up his hone and slips it back into his pocket. He still doesn’t want to do this trial, but he does feel better after talking to Pepper. The brunet sighs and heads back into the meeting room, taking is place next to Steve.

The blond gives Tony a tight smile and kisses him on the cheek before tangling their fingers together.

Clint clears his throat, causing everyone to look at him. The archer is currently standing on the arms of his swivel chair, and swaying in a dangerous fashion.

“Get down from there before you bust your ass,” Steve says in a firm tone.

“No,” Clint responds before sticking out his tongue, and earning an eye roll from the Captain. He clears his throat again. “I propose we get pre-trial shawarma. Right now.”

“Don’t you think it’s too late for that?” Natasha asks, with an amused smile.

“It is never too late, my faire Dragon Queen of Orion,” Clint responds.

“Will you stop quoting _Return of the Dragon 2_ ,” Rhodey says, slightly amused, before throwing a paper ball that hits Clint in the face, but doesn’t affect his balance.

“You’re just jealous because _you’re_ not a faire Dragon Queen,” Clint says as he finally sits in his chair like the rest of the class.

“I am the fairest in all of the motherfucking land, bald eagle,” Rhodey responds.

Clint lets out an offended squawk. “I am a hawk!”

“Quoth the raven, _nevermore_ ,” Rhodey counters, which causes everyone (aside from Clint) to burst into laughter. Even Loki lets a wide grin cover his features.

Clint huffs, and Rhodey smiles triumphantly.

Fury reenters the room with Coulson in tow. The Director glances at the Avengers with a narrowed eye. “What the hell are you so giggly about?”

“Nevermore,” Rhodey repeats, which causes another round of laughter.

Fury sighs. “Why did I have to get stuck with you people?”

“C’mon, you know you love us,” Tony says with a wide grin.

“No, I do not!” Fury says with a frown.

“Guys, it’s time,” Coulson says.

“It’s time? Oh my god, my wife is having a baby!” Clint exclaims, causing more laughter from the Avengers. The archer turns to Bucky and says, “You’re in labor, my dear wife!”

“Oh that’s what that is? I thought I was just backed up from that chili we ate last night,” Bucky responds.

“You asshole, I made that chili,” Steve says in an offended tone.

“My point,” Bucky answers.

“Will you all stop fucking around?” Fury exclaims. “Now, there’s a trial that needs to get completed. The sooner that’s finished, the sooner you can make fun of Cap for not knowing how to cook chili.”

“What is this? Bag on Cap day?” Steve asks.

“We can go back to making fun of the pigeon over there,” Rhodey says helpfully, ignoring Clint’s offended screech.

“Like I said, you can make fun of each other after the trial,” Fury says to the team before looking at Loki. “Can you conjure that portal now?”

“Certainly,” Loki says, rising from his seat and moving to stand next to the Director. He raises his arms to chest level and closes his eyes in concentration. Blue energy is summoned to Loki’s fingertips and shoots in front of him, creating a blue portal of swirling energy in front of him.

Tony carefully observes the portal. This one is different from the one in New York—probably because Loki isn’t trying to kill them this time and infinite space isn’t on the other side.

“Is it safe?” Clint asks cautiously.

Loki bristles, offended that Clint would doubt his skills. “Of course it’s safe, you nimrod.” The man walks back to the table and picks up a pen before enchanting it with his magic and handing it to Natasha.

The assassin looks at the pen in her hands with caution. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“It’s laced with my magic, think of it as a tracer of some sorts,” Loki answers. “The pen will allow me to know where you are in case you need my help. That is, under the assumption that you are all going to remain together.”

“That’s . . . very thoughtful of you,” Natasha says, carefully choosing her words. She opens one of the many pouches on her utility belt before sliding the pen inside.

“Yes, well, I don’t want to listen to the oaf whine if something happens to his _precious teammates_ when I’m capable of assistance,” Loki huffs, pointedly ignoring Thor’s wide smile.

The Avengers rise from their seats and stand together with Loki and Fury, gazing at the portal with curious and cautious expressions.

“Right, let’s go,” Clint says. “Nat, you first.”

Natasha raises an eyebrow. “Why me?”

“Because if we’re put in the middle of a war zone, you’ll scare everyone way with your ninja moves.”

Natasha snots, and shakes her head amused. She walks up to the portal and sighs. “Men,” she says before walking through the portal.

“Rhodey, you’re next,” Clint says.

“And you’re coming with me,” Rhodey says, grabbing Clint by the ear with one hand, and his briefcase with his armor in the other. He shakes his head before dragging the protesting Clint into the portal.

Tony sighs, knowing he is the last one left. The brunet steps forward with his briefcase held tightly in his hand. He steels himself and takes another step towards the portal when he is hit with the visions from his nightmare: Steve dead, Skull smirking, the terror at realizing he’s going to be alone.

The billionaire shakes his head. He can’t go. Steve can take care of himself, sure, but Tony doesn’t want to risk coming back and find out that he’s already gone.

Tony can hear someone approach him and place a hand on his back before Steve’s form comes into view.

“Are you okay?” Steve asks with a worried crease in between his brow.

“Yeah, completely,” Tony says, knowing Steve won’t believe his lie. He never was able to lie to him, especially to his face.

Steve begins to rub Tony’s back in a comforting manor. “You’ll do great, Tony, and I’ll be here waiting for you when you come back. I promise you everything will be fine.”

Tony doesn’t respond. Instead, he sets is briefcase on the ground, and reaches forward to pull Steve into a kiss, ignoring Fury’s protests of “Jesus, Stark” and “Do that on your own time.”

The billionaire ignores Fury in favor of pressing closer to Steve. The Director isn’t wrong, though. He and Steve tone down their affection for each other at work, but Tony can make an exception. Apparently, Steve can too with the enthusiastic way he’s kissing back.

A few moments later, Tony pulls away and gives Steve a small smile. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Come back to me, you hear?”

“I will,” Tony says before giving Steve one last kiss. He steps away from the other man and picks up his briefcase off the ground. Tony takes a deep breath, and enters the wormhole.

**

Tony emerges from the portal in an alleyway. A dirty, disgusting, alley that has trash scattered everywhere and an unknown substance stuck to the brick walls on either side. Tony sighs, as the portal closes behind him. Going through the portal wasn’t as horrible as he thought it would be, and he is actually feeling quite calm now. Maybe it’s because Tony is comforted in the fact that Thor would never let his brother do something to harm them again.

The brunet looks around and sees Clint and Rhodey are standing a few feet away with Natasha nowhere in sight. Tony furrows his brow. “Where’s Nat?”

Rhodey turns his head to look at Tony. “Natasha’s scouting ahead. She’ll be back—”

“Alright everyone’s here. Let’s go,” Natasha says, her silhouette appearing in the mouth of the alley with her hands on her hips.

“Right now,” Rhodey says. He leads the way out of the alley, followed by Clint, and Tony.

Tony blinks is eyes repeatedly as he adjusts to the darkness surrounding him. He looks around the area, confused, still feeling disoriented from the portal. The area seems familiar to him, but he can’t properly determine where he is.

“Where are we?” Clint asks as he looks around the area.

Natasha walks over to a nearby bench and picks up a newspaper resting on the surface. “New York City, May 14th, 1951. Do you guys know of any significance to this date?”

Rhodey and Clint shake their heads no.

“I think I may have read something about this date or one close to it in Howard’s journal, but I don’t remember,” Tony says, with a furrowed brow.

“That’s helpful,” Clint mutters sarcastically.

“No, that actually is helpful,” Rhodey says. “Remember what Loki said: 1951 and Start, which is suspiciously one letter away from _Stark_. If something near this date is connected to Tony, then the trial has to involve his past in some way.”

Tony snorts, not dismissing Rhodey’s theory. As long as the trial doesn’t involve Howard, he really doesn’t care whom from his past is about. He is silently hoping he’ll see Jarvis again. The former butler died a few months before he went to Afghanistan. Tony misses Jarvis terribly; he would give anything to speak with the man one last time.

Natasha purses her lips. “If you do remember the exact event on the exact date, Tony, let us know.”

“Of course,” Tony answers.

“What’s going on over there?” Clint asks with a furrowed brow

The other three avengers follow Clint’s line of sight and see bright, flashing, different colored lights in the distance. They exchange curious glances before heading towards the light and stumbling into some kind of event. Booths and (what appear to be) science experiments are set up all over the area, with a flood of people jammed between the tables.

“Is this . . . Stark Expo?” Rhodey asks as he looks around.

“Oh shit,” Tony says as he lays eyes on the one man he never thought he’d have to see again. His father.

Howard is standing some distance away, wearing a pressed blue suit and chatting with a woman wearing similar attire. Tony has no idea why he’s shocked at seeing Howard. Whenever he has to bring the past, or in this case _travelling_ into the past, his father is always involved in some way. Honestly, he should have known when he first brought up Howard’s journal.

Luck appears to not be on Tony’s side (then again, when is it ever) because Howard turns and catches the brunet’s eye before turning and doing a double take. The billionaire was always told that he looked like a younger version of his father, and apparently, Howard can see that too, since he’s walking over to the Avengers and ignoring the words of the woman following him.

Howard reaches the Avengers, stopping directly in front of Tony, and looking over him with a curious look on his face. The man furrows his brow, as if trying to ascertain where he’s seen Tony’s face before. After a few tense moments, Howard opens his mouth to speak.

“Have I seen you somewhere before?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to be posting a companion to this trial called “None Too Thrilled” 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! We’re heading for the home stretch now!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make sure I got this up before everything becomes a mantra of Cap 2 in my head. Lol. 
> 
> This chapter picks up immediately where the last one left off. I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> I was listening to Kendrick Lamar in the background while editing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vAoPBY_D4E

“I doubt that. We’re visiting from Malibu and this is our first time in the city,” Natasha says, saving Tony from being turned into a stammering fool. “Hi, I’m Natasha and these are my siblings: Clint, Tony, and Rhodey. We’re archaeologists”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Howard, and this is Peggy. You’re archaeologists?” Howard says, raising his eyebrow curiously at the last statement.

“That’s right,” Natasha answers. “We travel across the country collecting rare items of all types to donate to museums for research purposes.”

Peggy hums. “What a noble cause.”

“You know, over the years I’ve collected a few items you may be interested in,” Howard says. “Would you like to see them?”

“That would be lovely,” Natasha says. “When are you free?”

Howard thinks for a moment. He opens his mouth before shutting it again. “You know, Peggy and I are going out to sea soon. Why don’t you and your siblings join us? I’ll bring the items and maybe we can discuss underwater explorations?”

“Are you sure?” Peggy says, glancing over each of the Avengers with suspicion.

Howard waves off the woman’s concern and pointedly ignores her frown. “I’m positive. Besides, a few people just quit on us, and we could use the help. What do you say?”

“We would be honored to accompany you,” Natasha responds.

“What?” Tony exclaims.

Natasha frowns and gives Tony a side eye glare before turning back to Howard. “Ignore him; he’s tired from the long trip. We’re all in.”

“Excellent,” Howard says with a wide smile. “Let’s meet tomorrow at ten a.m. at the Harbor entrance in Brooklyn. Do you know it?”

“Yes,” Natasha responds.

“I thought you were new to town?” Peggy asks, with a raised eyebrow.

“We are,” Clint says. “But, I’ve been doing extensive research on the city, so we won’t get lost.”

The Brit falls silent, but she doesn’t lose her look of suspicion.

Howard opens his mouth to speak when a loud explosion of fireworks interrupts him. “And that’s my cue to head back to the main stage. Take care!”

“We’ll see you all tomorrow—ten sharp,” Peggy says before leaving with Howard.

Tony turns to Natasha, barely able to mask the absolute anger he’s feeling towards the woman. “Thank you so much, Natasha, for volunteering us to go on a mission with the younger version of my estranged father, and my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend,” Tony says in a clipped tone.

“I know you don’t like it, and you have every reason to be angry with me, but I have a strong feeling Howard and Peggy are the third trial. Why else would Loki’s magic bring us here and allude to a connection with you?” Natasha says. “I understand what you’re feeling—”

“Oh _really_? Is your past currently haunting you, at this very moment, in the form of a man you never thought you’d see again?”

“You’d be surprised,” Natasha responds, with an unidentifiable look on her face. She’s hiding something, but then again, she always is.

“You know they didn’t believe our bullshit right?” Rhodey says interrupting their conversation before it turns ugly and with the way Tony was going, it would have.

“I know,” Clint says with a shake of his head. “We’re just gonna have to hope they keep playing along. For now, let’s explore the expo. I’ve always wanted to go to one, and never got the chance.”

“Fine by me,” Rhodey answers. He glares at Tony and Natasha, until the pair reluctantly nods their heads in agreement. He smiles before leading the group further into the expo.

**

“We’re lost.”

“No, we’re not,” Natasha argues without looking up from the map in her hands. “We’re just misplaced.”

“So, lost?”

“Shut up, Clinton.”

“How sad is this though,” Rhodey says. “I mean, we’ve lived in New York for months and we can’t even find the damn place.”

“Hey, you and Tony grew up here. Why don’t either of you know?” the archer says.

“Don’t drag me into this,” Tony says. “I don’t want to be here.”

“Can we please ask for directions?” Clint begs.

“No,” Natasha says firmly.

The four Avengers have been searching for the Brooklyn Harbor to meet Howard and Peggy for the last hour. Tony sighs and checks his watch, realizing they only have half an hour until ten. If there’s one thing Tony knows about Howard, it’s that he’s always on time (or early). If they miss the boat, and in turn the trial, the Avengers are going to have to contact Loki via is magical pen to pull some strings. That’ll be embarrassing.

“Why did you have to lie about knowing the place, Nat?” Clint whines to the assassin.

“Why did you have to back up my lie, Mister “I’ve been doing extensive research,”” Nat retorts, looking up from the map to glare at Clint.

“If Steve and Bucky could see us struggling right now, they would be so offended,” Rhodey says.

“They’d probably make fun us,” Tony adds. “Let’s not mention this to them—ever.”

“Agreed,” the other Avengers say together.

Natasha sighs. “Let’s keep heading east. It has to be around here somewhere.”

They eventually find the Harbor with less than a minute to spare. Howard spots them first, waving enthusiastically from his and Peggy’s place towards the edge of the pier. He begins pointing to the boat behind him with a wide grin on his face. _The Stark_ is a five-story luxury yacht and Howard’s most prized possession (at least until he builds Stark Mansion that is). The four hundred foot long steel yacht’s white exterior is gleaming in the sunlight as if to display the expansion of Howard Stark’s wealth.

It’s eerie seeing the yacht in person. Tony’s only ever seen photos—his father passed ownership over to Jason Bates (the captain) a few weeks before he was born. After Howard ceased the search and decided to focus on his company, he gave ownership of the future Shield Headquarters building in downtown Manhattan (the same place where Fury told Tony he had to take in the Avengers) to Peggy, making her the first official Director of Shield.

Unfortunately knowing his father, it would take a lot to convince him to give up the search for Cap all together and he’s pretty sure his mother had a say in that. She knew that Tony shouldn’t grow up without his father, and a large part of him wishes that he did. Jarvis was more of a parent to him than his actual parents were.

“All set?” Howard questions, which pulls Tony out of his thoughts. The man has an excited gleam at in his eye in anticipation of whatever they’re doing.

“Let’s do it!” Clint says, matching Howard’s enthusiasm.

Howard claps the archer on the back before leading the way onboard.

The interior of the yacht is gorgeous and high class, with a décor that could rival celebrity homes in the modern day. Tony’s father has horrible taste in everything, so he’s betting that Peggy picked out the furniture using his credit card. He would have said it was his mother, but it is only 1951 and his parents didn’t meet until 1962.

“Greetings one and all! Welcome to _The Stark_ , the finest luxury yacht in all of the land!” Howard boasts with his hands spread wide. He’s wearing a red Hawaiian short sleeved shirt with a yellow flower pattern, light brown khaki shorts and a pair of dark brown flip flops. It’s weird seeing his father wearing something other than a suit, but he remembers reading in his journal that after Steve’s assumed death, he would dress in ridiculous fashions to elicit a smile from Peggy, who was still mourning Steve into the late 1950s.

Peggy sighs dramatically from her place next to her friend. She’s wearing a white long sleeved shirt, a long flowing pink skirt and a pair of white wedges. Her auburn hair is pinned in a bun behind her head. “You’ll have to excuse him; he just loves showing off.”

“Pegs, I _live_ for showing off,” Howard says with a smile. “Now, if you’ll follow me, I shall give you the grand tour!” He leads the group through the yacht while rattling off the basic layout.

The lower deck consists of a swimming pool, the engine room, the guest cabins, the crew’s quarters, and a place for Howard’s mini sub. The main deck houses the dining room, VIP suites, Howard and Peggy’s rooms, and the billiard’s room. The upper deck has the captain’s cabin, Howard’s study, Peggy’s office, a laboratory, and a conference room. The sun deck has an exterior deck for relaxing, a Jacuzzi, shooting range, and a training hall. The top most part of the yacht has two helicopter pads and both are unoccupied for the moment, but usually have choppers coming and going on a regular basis.

Howard ends the tour on the main deck of the ship pausing in front of two of the VIP suites. Tony’s slightly surprised that he isn’t forcing them to stay in the guest cabins. His father always was a little too trusting of people, especially those interested in rare items or any sort of technology. Peggy appears as surprised for she’s giving him a sided eye glare right now, which suggest their going to have a talk about that later.

“Normally, we have four VIP rooms available, but I can’t find the keys for two of them. So, there’s one for the boys and one for the lovely lady,” Howard says with a wink.

Natasha’s eye roll is so powerful that Tony thinks her eyes might pop out of her head. Despite the fact that the brunet is still mad at his friend, he can’t help but be proud of her reaction.

“We’ll give you guys some time to settle in and do some exploring of your own,” Howard says. “Peggy and I are going to head up to the conference room. You guys should join us when you’re ready.”

“We will,” Nat says. She accepts the keys from Howard before watching him and Peggy leave the area together.

The redhead hands a key to Clint before walking over to her room and opening the door, setting down her bag and immediately sweeping the place for bugs. Clint goes into the boy’s room and does the same thing. Between the two of them, they find ten bugs (five in each room), but it doesn’t rule out of the possibility of there being more.

The four Avengers glance at each other, silently knowing they can’t discuss the trial or anything really, without fear of Howard and Peggy possibly spying on their conversation. They’re going to have to remain on their guard at all times and always be in control of their words.

Natasha suggests exploring the yacht, whether out of curiosity or to get a better idea of the layout, she obviously doesn’t specify. The brunet sighs. He doesn’t want to be here, especially in such close quarters to his father with the constant fear of exposure looming over his head. He wants to go back home to Steve and forget this shit ever happened. 

**

After exploring the ship and finding a shit ton of other rooms (including a sauna, a spa, a tennis court, and a sunroom), curiosity over what Howard and Peggy are really doing at sea crawls to the front of their minds. Tony predicts that they’re in the midst of searching for Cap. The brunet remembers reading in his father’s journal that Howard would go out to sea several times a year; he even ran Stark industries _and_ Shield from his yacht. He knows his teammates probably suspect something of a similar nature, but unfortunately, he can’t confirm without running the risk of being overheard.

They reach the conference room after only getting lost twice. Howard looks up from the charts and maps in front of him, smiling in greeting. He jerks his head to the row of chairs on his left, silently inviting the Avengers to join him. Peggy already sits in a chair on his right, curled up and reading a novel. She barely glances at the arriving foursome.

Natasha takes the seat next to Howard, followed by Clint, Rhodey, and Tony being the furthest away from his father. The redhead glances over at the papers in front of Howard, who makes no move to hide his work from the woman. “So, what exactly are we doing here?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” Peggy quips, turning a page in her novel.

“Peggy—” Howard begins, cutting himself off at the woman’s glare.

“If you don’t want to explain why we’re here, that’s fine,” Natasha says.

“No, it’s just,” Howard sighs. “We’re looking for an old friend. Have you ever heard of Captain America?”

“Who hasn’t?” Clint says. “A true American and a hero; he’s the reason we’re alive today.”

Howard nods with a slight smile crossing his features. Tony could say it’s one of pride. His father was the one who invented Steve’s costume and shield. Hell, he’s pretty sure they named the organization of Shield after Cap to honor his memory. “He was the greatest man I ever knew.”

Tony’s heart clenches. His father used to say that frequently whenever Cap was brought up in the household. Tony discovered Steve’s memory on his own, after rummaging through Howard’s things on those rare nights when his parents were out for the evening. He idolized the Captain in secret, wishing that the man would come and save him whenever Howard was screaming at him while drunk or destroying his experiments.

“He flew a plane armed with explosives and other forms of weaponry into the Artic because he saw no other choice,” Clint says. “At least, that’s what the papers said.”

“That’s correct. We know he’s still alive somewhere and we’re searching for his plane,” Peggy says in a neutral tone, but Tony can see her grip tightening on her novel.

“Do you think you’ll actually be able to find him?” Natasha questions, ignoring the glare Peggy fixes her.

Howard shrugs and gestures to the machine in front of him. “The radar machine will let me know if we find anything.”

**

Two days later, the radar pings.

“Did you find Steve?” Peggy asks hopefully.

“No, all I found is some stupid pirate ship that’s probably filled with gold,” Howard says with a scowl.

The group is in the conference room effortlessly searching for Steve. Throughout the trip, Tony has actively avoided interaction with his father. Natasha has been the one to distract Howard, asking questions about the ship, the search, and the rare items they discusses when they first met, but that The Avengers haven’t seen yet. On the other side of the room, Rhodey and Peggy (who is finally starting to open up to their presence) are teasing Clint about not knowing where basic New York City landmarks are.

“I can’t expect to know everything, okay, I’ve only lived in the city for seven months,” Clint says with a huff.

“Seven months?” Peggy questions. “I thought you were new?”

Clint’s eyes widen. “Shit,” he mouths.

The British woman shakes her head. “I told you something didn’t add up, Howard.”

“I agreed with you, it was obvious that something wasn't right,” Howard says with a shrug. "I was curious to see how far they would take this charade."

Peggy pulls out her gun and aims it at the group while Natasha does the same to her. The soldier raises a challenging eyebrow, but Nat doesn’t waver.

“Who are you really?” Howard questions, eyes immediately going to Tony and looking over the man suspiciously.

“Spies; probably for the Russian’s,” Peggy accuses. Natasha looks amused at the irony.

Tony’s mind whirls. This feels familiar to him somehow. Where has it seen this . . .?

“Oh my god,” the brunet says as his thoughts click into place. “Natasha, I remember the significance of this date now. Today is the day—”

A loud explosion cuts off Tony. The ship rocks violently to the left, and knocking everyone off balance. After a few tense seconds, the yacht rights itself again. Before anyone can begin to comprehend what is happening, the door is broken down and a swarm of soldiers dressed in all black combat gear enters the area.

“Spetsnaz!” Natasha yells.

“Allies of yours?” Peggy quips, tightening her grip on her pistol.

Natasha ignores her in favor of kicking the soldier closest to her in the groin and elbowing him the face. She moves gracefully between her enemies, with a series of well-placed kicks and punches not leaving any of the fight for the other members in the room. After taking down the last of the soldiers, Natasha turns to the others and raises an inquiring brow.

“Don’t give us that look, Nat, you didn’t leave any for the rest of us,” Clint says with a scowl.

Tony turns to his left looking at his best friend, who is placed behind an overturned bookshelf next to Peggy with his pistol firmly grasped in his hand.

Peggy looks over Rhodey with a curious gaze. “You’re a soldier as well.”

“United States Air Force, ma’am, I’ve been in the service for the last six years,” Rhodey response, smiling at Peggy’s impressed look. He looks over to Tony. “We need to get to our armor.”

“Armor?” Howard inquires from behind his own cover.

Tony reaches into his pocket and tosses two silver wristbands, similar to the ones he used during the battle of New York. Rhodey catches them with one hand and looks over them curiously. “I made some adjustments to your suit when you weren’t around and don’t give me that look, gummy bear, you know I couldn’t resist. When you put those bands on, your suit will come when you call, just like mine.”

Rhodey grins and straps on the bands before checking his ammo. “I’ll forgive you; this time.”

Natasha looks to Howard. “Have you ever used a weapon before?”

“Yeah, a gun, but that’s about it,” Howard says.

Nat nods. “Clint, give him your gun since you’ll be using your arrows anyway.”

Clint walks over to Howard, handing him his pistol and some ammo. Tony’s father nods to the archer gratefully. Clint walks over to a cabinet on the other side of the room and pulls out his quiver and bow. Tony’s brow furrows, wondering when he had time to sneak into the room and stash his arrows. Knowing him, he probably bribed Natasha into doing it.

“Shouldn’t Tony have a weapon as well?” Peggy says and Tony thinks that’s the first time she’s addressed him the entire trip.

The brunet shakes his head. “I’ll be fine, guns aren’t really my thing,” he says before catching the Taser Nat throws at his head. “Neither are Tasers, but it will do.”

“We need to secure the ship,” Nat says. “Let’s move.”

The Avengers, Peggy, and Howard follow Natasha into the hallway only to find a mass of soldiers fighting with his father’s already small crew. The crew members are holding their own pretty well and it’s in this moment that Tony realizes every single person working on this ship are trained Shield Agents. With as many times as he's read Howard's journal, the brunet is surprised he didn’t pick up on this sooner.

“Tony! We’ll hold them off! You and Rhodey need to get outside so you can use your armor!” Natasha yells from somewhere in front of him.

Rhodey and Tony exchange a nod before forcing their way through the sea of people, with a goal of heading towards the main deck in mind. Thankfully, Tony left the windows to their room open so their armor can arrive to them in pieces without tearing a gaping hole into the side of the ship. The two friends continue to the deck, stopping along the way to help their comrades and fellow Shield Agents only to be pushed further away with shouts of _“Hurry up, you’re almost there!”_

Tony reaches the door to the main exterior deck first and throws it open, unprepared for the site in front of him.

“Is that Bucky?” Rhodey questions from behind Tony.

Bucky is standing in the center of the deck with an AK in his hands. His face is hidden from view via his mask and googles, metal arm shining in the sunlight. Spestnaz soldiers surround him while countless others board the ship.

Tony gulps. “Yeah,” he says. “Brainwashed Bucky.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: slight gore, death, and blood

Tony keeps his gaze on locked Bucky, unable to believe that this is actually happening right now. Of _all_ the people they could be facing against, it had to be Winter Soldier. If anything, he can at least be glad that Steve isn’t here. Knowing the blond, he would make it his life’s mission to get Bucky back now and in turn change the future (and possibly the course of history). Tony sighs, pulling himself from his thoughts. He can hear footsteps and shocked exclamations from behind him, signaling the others arrival to the main deck.

“Who the hell is that?” Peggy asks, confused.

“They call him The Winter Soldier,” Natasha says, sounding shocked.

“Winter Soldier?” Howard’s voice asks.

“A Soviet assassin injected with a similar serum to Captain America,” the redhead explains.

“How do you know that—that’s classified information?” Peggy demands.

“I read,” Natasha says simply.

“What do we do?” Clint asks.

“We fight,” Tony says. Back in England, Nat said he made a good backup Cap; here’s to hoping he’s going to be making the right call. “Clint, find a perch. Peggy and Nat, take out the soldiers in whatever way you see fit. Howard, get to cover.”

“Why am I the only one?” Howard complains.

“Because I don’t want to have to worry about keeping track of you during the battle,” Peggy adds in a firm tone. “Now go.”

Howard looks like he wants to keep arguing, but ultimately sighs and goes to find cover.

Tony turns and opens his mouth to talk to Rhodey, but closes it when he hears the sound of their armor arriving. He smirks as the metal slowly encases his body piece by piece until he’s completely covered in his tech. The suit comes online with various pop up screens showing him everyone’s positions and status. “JARVIS, can you hear me?”

_“Loud and clear, sir.”_

“Avengers? Call in.”

“I’m here,” Natasha says immediately.

“Same,” Clint says. “I’m on top of the ship.”

“We’re good,” Rhodey says.

“Excellent,” Tony says. “The four of us are the only ones who have comms and no one else should be able to hear our conversations over the noise of the battle.”

“Armor?” Howard exclaims, sounding like he just found a gold mine. “You _made_ yourselves _armor_! That is incredible! How long did it take? What did you use? Is it painful to be in there for long periods? Will . . .?”

“See, people like my suit too,” Rhodey says over Howard’s excited chatter, with a swell of pride in his voice.

“All that proves is that Howard _truly_ has terrible taste in, well, everything,” Tony says. He can almost hear Rhodey’s frown from behind his faceplate. “Come on, sweet tart, don’t give me that look. We can argue over who has superior armor, when the answer is clearly me, later. Let’s focus on making sure no one kills us or Bucky for that matter.”

Rhodey mumbles under his breath. “Fine.” 

The armored men take flight, launching themselves from the ship and into the air, their exterior microphones picking up shocked exclamations from the Agents and a sarcastic one from Clint.

Tony rolls his eyes; he flies back to the ground, barreling into a group of soldiers and knocking them out. Natasha charges forward, using her widow’s bite to take down three consecutive men while rounding on more. Peggy pulls out her pistols, firing on anyone who approaches her, and ducking behind cover when she needs to reload. Clint rains down a storm of arrows, keeping the soldiers off their six. Howard is behind cover with two Shield Agents, offering occasional backup and moral support.

“So do we actually have a solid plan or are we just going to wing it?” the archer asks.

“The first thing we need to do is take out these foot soldiers, there’s too many of them!” Rhodey says as he takes down two more men.

Tony scans the area, watching the Soviets boarding the yacht from the several ships surrounding them. He grins when an idea hits him. “Rhodey, we need to blow up the boats. “

“Alright, now that’s what I’m taking about!” Rhodey calls, immediately firing off his replusors and taking out some of the Soviet boats loitering on the left side of the yacht. He overestimates the blast of his weapons and accidentally hits the deck of the yacht.

“Hey! Don’t destroy my yacht!” Howard yells. “This shit costs more money that you can dream about!”

Tony rolls his eyes. “Doubt it.” He fires a gauntlet blast that takes out one of the boats on the right side of the yacht in addition to part of the railing. He sighs, opting to ignore Howard’s threats of suing him, in favor of flying around the ship and knocking down the soldiers trying to climb to Clint's position.

"Man, Shield doesn't fuck around," Rhodey says, sounding like he's grimacing.

He's right. The fight has barely begun and there are already a shit ton of Soviet corpses littering the main deck of the ship. So much blood has been spilled, that it’s dripping down the side of the yacht and into the sea below.

Iron Man shakes his head and looks away from the yacht’s exterior, spotting a few Soviet soldiers approaching Howard’s position from behind. The other man isn’t aware of the danger behind him, instead keeping his focus on the battle and the Agents on either side.

Tony quickly flies to Howard and lands behind him, intercepting the soldiers, who give him confused looks. He nods. “Fellas.”

The soldiers raise their guns and fire at him, the bullets bouncing off his armor. He takes a step forward, watching with an amused grin as the enemies take a step back. The brunet raises his right arm and fires a repulsor blast, knocking the men backwards and causing them to fly over the railing and into the water below.

Tony turns to the three behind him and gauges their reactions, his gaze lingering on Howard. His father’s expression is one of complete amazement and wonder at the armor. He can’t help the swell of pride that bursts inside of him at Howard’s approval of something he created (a first for the other man).

“Tones! I could use some help over here!” Rhodey says in a slight panic. He flies higher into the air in an attempt to shake off the soldiers clinging to his armor.

“On my way.” Tony fires up his jet boots and heads to Rhodey’s position, helping his friend physically pull the soldiers off him and dropping them into the freezing water below.

“Thank you,” Rhodey says in a singsong tone. He gives Tony a mock salute before flying away.

Tony shakes his head, amused. He turns and rescans the deck to determine everyone’s positions. Clint is still in his perch, firing arrows to the deck below. Rhodey is flying around the ship and having way too much fun knocking people into the water. Howard, Natasha, and Peggy are still on the ground, fighting to the best of their abilities. The brunet glances over the area again before sighing. He lost sight of Bucky in the crowd a while ago and he’s hoping the other man isn’t up to something they're going to regret later on.

“Uh, not to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m out of arrows,” Clint says in a sheepish tone.

“Dammit Clint,” Natasha says, voice sounding strained.

“Are you able to get to the lower deck to collect them?” Rhodey asks.

“That’s a negative,” Clint says. “They finally realized I’m up here. I’m gonna need a ride.”

“Hang on, Katniss,” Tony says. He turns around mid-air and heads to Clint’s perch, watching as the soldiers engage his teammate. The brunet flies low to the ground, knocking soldiers out of the way and clearing himself a path to Clint. When he reaches the archer, he grabs the other man around the waist and propels them away from the area. He circles the ship once before depositing Clint near Natasha’s position.

“My hero,” Clint deadpans.

Tony rolls his eyes, deciding not to respond to Clint’s comment, before returning to the battle.

**

As the day begins to turn into night, the Avengers and Shield are finally beginning to gain the advantage over the thinning enemy soldiers. Not long ago, Bucky reappeared and started getting more involved in the battle, not sparing a glance to his comrades being killed around him. Watching Winter Soldier in combat like this really shows Tony that they tried to make him the true opposite of Cap. While Steve is strong stances and power with the shield, Bucky is graceful and fast, using his agility and weight to his complete advantage.

Tony takes down three more soldiers and opens his mouth to ask the Avengers about their next move, when the sound of Winter Soldier barking out orders in Russian causes him to hold his tongue.

“Guys, he just said that the battle is dragging on too long and that they need to finish this quickly or the boss will get mad,” Natasha translates. “We have to hurry; we have no idea what Winter Soldier might do if he’s desperate enough.”

The genius thinks for a minute while he takes out the soldiers that are overwhelming the Agents on the ground. He grabs one of the men, who tries to attack Peggy from behind, and tosses the enemy into the water. It takes a few more moments before an idea hits him.

“JARVIS, is there a way to disable Bucky’s arm?”

_“I would assume so, but we would have to be within the minimum of five feet to properly analyze him.”_

Tony observes Winter Soldier fighting against two Shield Agents and smirks. “I can do you one better.”

He flies over to Bucky, who is running down the length of the ship and heading towards Howard's position. Tony hovers over Bucky’s head, grabbing the man by his forearms mid-sprint before lifting him into the air.

“JARVIS, begin the analysis,” Tony says.

_“Initiating scan.”_

Winter Soldier struggles as they fly higher into the sky, kicking his legs and twisting his body in an attempt to free himself. Tony hangs on as best he can, but he doesn’t know how long he’ll able to keep this up.

After a few tense minutes of circling the ship, Winter Soldier manages to free his right arm and reaches into one of the pouches at his waist. He pulls out a small device, about the size of a person’s fist. Before Tony grab him again, Bucky reaches his hand up, and attaches the device to his chest plate.

Immediately, the object sends an electric shock through Tony and he almost drops Bucky out of surprise. The armor’s power starts going in and out, with JARVIS in the background saying the system is failing. He can hear the jet boots shutting off and feel them start to fall out of the sky. Bucky struggles harder as they descend closer to the ship, wriggling his body against Tony’s slacked grip.

“JARVIS, disengage the armor immediately, and transfer any power left to the gauntlet on my right arm.” He’ll be damned if he’s going to be trapped in his armor again like some sort of humanoid paperweight.

As soon as Tony finishes speaking, the suit starts detaching itself from his body. Bucky frees himself from the brunet’s grip, curling into a ball and rolling away on the deck. The armor falls into useless pieces around the two of them, with Tony crashing into the deck of the ship, using his gauntlet to absorb as much of the fall as possible.

“Tony! Are you alright?” Peggy calls from the other side of the ship.

“I’m good. Nothing seems broken,” Tony says, still trying to wrap his mind around what just happened. He’s never seen technology like this that can force him out of his armor. In the back of his mind, he always knew it existed, but he never would have expected that _1950s Soviets_ of all people would be in possession of it. He knew they were highly advanced in their development of new tech, but he had no idea they were this far down the line.

One thing that puzzles him though: if Bucky had this sort of device to disable his armor, why didn’t he use it when they first saw him in Zima? Maybe he had it on him, but didn’t think to use it because the brainwashing was slipping and Tony was nowhere near him. Or the device could only be used once and they were trying to replicate it, but if that were the case they would have massed produced more for sure. Whatever the reason, he knows the device wasn’t originally created to deal with him, so who could it have been created for?

Tony shakes his head, clearing his mind of all thoughts. He can think about theories and possible motives later. Right now, he has a job to do. The brunet uncurls himself and slowly starts to stand when Bucky reaches him.

Winter Soldier kicks Tony to the ground and flips him onto his back before climbing on top of him and pinning him to the deck with his knees. He reaches into one of the pouches at his waist and pulls out a knife.

Horrified, Tony tries wiggling from underneath Winter Soldier to no avail. Bucky is way too strong and there’s nothing Tony can do except watch the man raises the knife into the air and—

_Hesitate._

Tony watches Bucky tense his muscles, imagining his eyes scanning the billionaire’s face behind his goggles as if he’s confused at what he’s doing. The pause in all action makes Tony think back to what Bucky said on the roof. He tried fighting against his captors on multiple occasions, somehow knowing in the back of his mind that what he did on his missions was wrong despite having his mind continuously wiped.

The billionaire opens his mouth to speak when the knife is knocked from Bucky’s hand. Winter Soldier’s head immediately whips to the right, not caring about the weapon that lands a few feet away. Out of the corner of his eye, Tony sees Natasha standing in the distance, posture firm with a smirk on her lips.

Winter Soldier raises himself into a standing position and walks a few feet away, abandoning Tony in favor of staring down the Widow. Her smirk increases as Tony realizes her unspoken challenge has been accepted.

“What are you doing?” Tony asks confused.

“I know how he fights, trust me on this!”

“Nat—”

“ _Trust_ me!”

Natasha rocks back on her heels before charging towards the Soldier. Bucky pulls a pistol from one of his thigh holsters and fires at Nat. Tony watches with baited breath as she effortlessly dodges each one of his bullets before swooping in close and kicking the gun from his grip.

Winter Soldier quickly recovers, grabbing a knife from his pocket and throwing himself into the fight. Natasha dodges and blocks each of his attacks while searching for some sort of opening. After a few moments, she somehow manages to get behind Bucky and jumps, landing in a sitting position on his left shoulder. She wraps her thighs tightly around his neck and squeezes, trying to get him to pass out.

Bucky was taken off guard for a few seconds before grabbing Natasha by her utility belt and throwing her off him. She flips in mid-air and lands on her feet some distance away before grabbing her own gun and firing. Bucky raises his metal arm to protect his face, using the second Natasha pauses to reload to charge at her.

Tony tears his gaze away from the pair when he hears bullets whizzing past his head. _“Shit!”_ He scrambles to his feet before running out of the line of fire, passing dozens of corpses in various states and nearly slipping the amount of blood covering the deck.

The brunet ducks behind a fallen crate gathering himself before poking his head up and firing his gauntlet. The blast strikes the enemies cover, knocking one of the soldiers backwards and causing him to be impaled through the stomach on a broken piece of railing.

He ducks back behind the crate, trying to control his breathing. He can do this, it’s not like he hasn’t seen destruction like this before. However, in his defense, there is a difference between seeing death through a screen from hundreds of feet in the air and seeing death three feet from you. Tony briefly wonders how Steve and Bucky were able to do this; being on the front lines, watching their friends and fellow soldiers getting shot and blown to bits, not knowing if they were going to live to see another minute.

He pokes his head up again and spots Howard out of the corner of his eye, firing his weapon from behind his cover before ducking back down. It doesn’t take long for Tony to decide to join him. As much as he doesn’t want to be around his father, they’ll have a better advantage together. If he’s being completely honest with himself, he doesn’t want to be alone right now, and he’ll take any sort of company he can get even if it is in the form of Howard Stark.

Tony takes a deep breath before sprinting from his cover, carefully evading the bullets and soldiers surrounding him. He pauses only to grab a pistol from the ground and resists the urge to vomit at the disfigurement of the corpse of the Shield Agent next to it.

The brunet tears his eyes away from the body and he continues running until he reaches Howard’s cover. He slides in next to the other man, barely sparing a glance at the two dead Agents lying in crumpled heaps behind them.

Howard nods to Tony in greeting before popping his head up, and firing three rounds before ducking back down and reloading his gun. “Is this your first battle?” he asks, eyes scanning Tony’s face with concern. It’s weird to see his father with this expression because it’s never been directed at him.

“Surprisingly no,” Tony answers honestly, keeping his eyes locked on the railing behind Howard’s shoulder. “You’d think I be used to . . . everything by now.”

His father gives him a confused look before it turns into one of suspicion. “Who are you people really?”

“It’s like we told you,” Tony says, meeting Howard’s gaze. “We’re archaeologists.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In regards to the device, the Soviets created it because of a rumor they heard that Stark Industries was building robots to use against them. Winter Soldier was sent in to deal with Howard.
> 
> Overall, I think this chapter is kind of eh. I still can't write battle scenes very well and I had to write this twice. I'm still not too happy with it, but I did my best and I really hope you guys enjoyed, none the less. Please let me know what you thought! 
> 
> We're nearing the end!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want some background music, these songs were in the background when I wrote parts of this chapter:  
> “Dude looks like a Lady” by Aerosmith  
> “White Wedding” by Billy Idol  
> “Higher Love” by Steve Winwood  
> “Scream and Shout” by Will.i.am  
> “Me and My Broken Heart” by Rixton

Tony lifts his head out from behind cover to survey the scene in front of him. Natasha and Clint have Winter Soldier occupied, while War Machine is circling the ship and Peggy is hiding behind cover with Howard and Tony. As far as he can tell, there are only three foot soldiers left and Rhodey is heading for two of them. He turns to his left and sees a lone soldier heading towards them, gun poised and ready to fire.

Before he can react, he hears Howard yell, “Tony, get down!”

The brunet feels arms wrap around his shoulders and tug him to the ground while Peggy rises to her feet and puts a single bullet between the soldier’s eyes. As the enemy falls to the ground, Tony stares at the unmoving body in complete shock. Did _Howard_ just help someone other than himself and possibly save his life?

Howard helps him back into a sitting position. The genius is looking away from his father, but he can feel the concern rolling off the other man in waves. “Are you alright?”

Tony opens and closes his mouth a few times, rendered speechless. After a moment, he manages to nod.

“That’s the last of them!” Peggy calls.

“Sweet!” Clint yells excited, as he dodges one of Bucky’s punches.

Rhodey lands on the ground and makes his way to aid Natasha and Clint. Peggy walks around their cover to the same, stopping to help a few fallen Agents along the way. Howard leads Tony after her while keeping a steady hand on the genius’s back.

Tony watches Winter Soldier dodge Natasha’s kick and jump away. He turns his head a few times as though he’s trying to assess the situation (Tony can't tell for sure because Bucky is still wearing his goggles). Winter Soldier's comrades are defeated and the Avengers and Shield are approaching his position. While the Asset is strong, even he won’t be able to take all of them on at once.

Without warning, Winter Soldier roundhouse kicks Clint into Natasha. As the assassins fall to the ground in a crumpled heap, he sprints to the left and heads towards Howard’s two speedboats, which are still miraculously attached to the side of the yacht. Pulling out his pistol, he shoots out the metal rings holding one of the boats before jumping over the railing. The sound of the engine starting causes Howard to tense every muscle in his body.

“Hey asshole, that’s my boat!” Howard yells, despite the fact that Bucky won’t be able to hear him.

“He’s getting away, we have to go after him,” Peggy says, while making her way over to the second speedboat.

“No, let him go,” Tony says without thinking.

“Tony, he attacked us. This _Winter Soldier_ killed our friends and you want us to let him escape?” Peggy says, brow drawn downward in anger.

“Just trust me, please,” Tony says, all but pleading.

“Trust you?” Peggy questions. She places her hands on her hips. “You just want us to let your comrade go? That’s it isn’t it?” When Tony says nothing, she shakes her head in disappointment. “Unbelievable.”

Tony bites down on his lower lip and turns his gaze away towards the ground, wishing he could tell her the truth; she would understand if she knew. Out of the corner of his eyes, he can see Rhodey, who is now armorless, approaching him. His friend nods to Howard, who removes his hand from Tony’s back and walks away from the pair to join Peggy, who is pinching the bridge of her nose and looking stressed. The brunet watches the two Shield co-founders talk amongst themselves for a few moments before Peggy straightens her posture and clears her throat.

“If I can have everyone’s attention please,” Peggy says, her voice cutting through the silence that fell over the ship. “I need status reports from everyone.”

“There are at least eight dead and ten injured,” one of the Agents announces grimly.

“There’s damage to the ship in several places and I’ve spoken with the engine room. They informed me that there is no damage and the hull is completely secured.”

“Several Agents have already begun the clean-up effort,” another speaks up. “Dumping bodies, mopping the decks, cleaning away debris, the list goes on.”

“I know a guy who can come out and help power wash the yacht,” Howard says. “He can sail to our position with no problem and won’t ask any questions. He’s reliable.”

Peggy nods curtly. “Alright. Howard, you get in contact with your guy while the rest of us get started on clean up.” Almost as soon as she finishes speaking, five Agents arrive on deck wheeling a variety of cleaning supplies stacked on several different carts.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rhodey asks in a low tone as soon as everyone’s attention is directed on cleanup. He knows Rhodey wants to grill him about everything that’s happened since the trial began and he’s surprised that the other man has waited this long.

A gust of wind rolls by and Tony shivers, wrapping his arms around himself. He remains silent and turns away from Rhodey, walking over to where his broken armor is scattered. That was his last suit. While the gauntlet is still attached to his right arm, he’s not sure how much juice is left in it. He’ll have to try and remember to charge it after they leave Shield.

“Is it Howard? Because, if you ask me, he has weirdly become attached to you,” Rhodey says.

“Oh man, it’s hard to imagine my dad being attached to anything I do,” Tony says with a shake of his head.

The brunet turns to look at his friend, only to find the other man no longer standing next to him. He furrows his brow and looks around the area before spotting Rhodey a few feet away, picking up a large cardboard box that no one else appears to be using.

Rhodey walks back over to where Tony is still standing, grinning and lifting the box for emphasis when he realizes that Tony is staring at him. He sets the box on the ground before kneeling down next to it, grabbing pieces of Tony’s armor and placing them inside. The brunet kneels down next to his friend and follows his example.

“So, how are things going with your partner?” Rhodey asks casually after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Tony has to fight back the urge to sigh in relief at the subject change before he thinks over Rhodey’s words. The brunet smiles. “Things couldn't be better.”

“I’m glad,” Rhodey says and Tony can hear the smile in his tone. “Especially since I know I won’t have to worry about breaking my hand while I punch his face in.”

Tony rolls his eyes, thinking back to when Rhodey first met Steve and found out about their relationship at the Maria Stark Foundation Ball. “Cake pop, it wouldn’t have been worth it.”

“Yes it would,” Rhodey answers immediately.

Tony can’t help but smile widely at his friend’s answer, happy that Rhodey has his back. He opts to stay silent and continue loading his tech into the box, mind wandering back to Steve. He really hopes that the blond is doing okay and that he’s taking care of himself. Bucky’s with Steve, as well as the other Avengers, so he’s not as worried, but he still doesn’t want anything horrible to happen to his boyfriend, especially while Tony isn’t there.

The billionaire sighs as the last of his armor is loaded into the box. Approaching footsteps cause Tony to lift his head and see Nat and Clint head towards them. When the assassin’s arrive to their position, Clint immediately plops down on the ground and sighs before laying on his back and staring up into the darkened sky. Natasha kneels next to Clint, picking up a screw next to her foot and turning it over in her hands.

“Are the two of you okay?” she asks, looking between Tony and Rhodey.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Tony says. He looks over Nat with a curious expression. Something seems off with her and Tony has no idea what it could be. Seeing Bucky was no doubt hard on all of them, but Nat seems the most affected. Could it be because of her crush or something else that she’s not telling them? Whatever the case, Tony will try to ask her about it after the trials are over, granted she doesn’t just pick up and leave.

“What about you guys?” Rhodey asks, pulling Tony from his thoughts.

“We’re fine,” Nat answers before tossing the screw into the box. She turns her head away to stare at the ocean, which has been blackened by the night sky.

*

Rhodey was right about one thing: Howard _did_ become attached.

As soon as they finished with the bulk of the cleanup, the Avengers joined Peggy and Howard in the conference room where the latter immediately plastered himself to Tony’s side, giving the genius a hopeful look. Knowing that his father wouldn’t quit, Tony consented with a sigh and allowed an eager Howard to look over the broken pieces of his armor and ask questions to which Tony answered without giving too much away.

Tony shakes his head. This is the tamest conversation he’s ever had with his father. He finds it weird how different Howard is—the man sitting next to him is not the same man he grew up with and the more Tony interacts with him, the more confused he is about everything. He and Howard are more similar than he ever could have guessed: they have similar ways of thinking, speaking, and interacting with the prospect of new technology. He has to allow himself to wonder: where did everything go wrong? Tony can guess that failing to find your good friends after years of searching could be one.

Howard continues scanning the armor and muttering to himself, unaware that Tony has completely zoned out from the conversation. He can’t stop his mind from wondering how different his life would have been if Howard found both Steve and Bucky. Would Howard have actually been a decent human being? Or would he have eventually turned into the alcoholic asshole that Tony grew up with?

The door to the conference room slams open, pulling Tony from his thoughts. A Shield Agent runs inside, panicked and jittery, as if he wants to jump ship and swim to shore.

“Sir, ma’am, we have a problem,” he says, eyes rapidly moving from Howard to Peggy. “A big one.”

“What’s wrong, Leon,” Howard asks, setting the armor aside and turning his full attention on the Agent.

“Our Intel—documents, maps, you name it—it’s all gone!”

“What?” Peggy exclaims. She rises to her feet so quickly that she knocks her chair over and doesn’t flinch at the loud bang the item makes when it collides with the floor.

“Someone hacked into our system and wiped the entire thing clean; all of our hard copies are gone as well,” Leon continues, the words tumbling out of his mouth.

“How could this have happened? We were all here the entire time! I don’t—” Howard cuts himself off and looks at each of the Avengers. “Could it have been your Winter Soldier?”

“It’s possible,” Natasha says, after a moment of brief silence. “It’s not his M.O. though.”

“How do you know so much about this man?” Peggy asks, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips.

Natasha shrugs. “Like I said, I read.”

“There was a point during the battle where I lost sight of him,” Tony admits. “If Winter Soldier was the one who did this, he would have had plenty of opportunities while we were distracted during the battle.”

“That’s just great,” Peggy says, sighing wearily. “Howard, you backed everything up, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” Howard says, sounding slightly offended that Peggy would doubt him. “The backup drives are locked in my office desk.”

“Let’s hope he didn’t get to those as well,” Peggy says.

Howard and Leon waste no time in leaving the room. Peggy walks around the table and moves to follow, pausing at the doorway. She turns to face the Avengers.

“I want you all to stay here for the time being. I have a few questions I want to ask when I return,” the Agent says before leaving the room without waiting for an answer.

Tony casts his eyes to the tabletop as he listens to Peggy’s footsteps fade, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. He has the best tech that the world has ever seen, yet he couldn’t keep tabs on one man. Sure, Winter Soldier is the greatest, most notorious assassin the world has ever seen, but it’s no excuse.

“Nat, your pocket is glowing,” Clint says.

The Widow furrows her brow. “What?” She looks down at her waist and discovers that one of the pouches on her belt is glowing bright green. Nat reaches into the pouch and pulls out the pen that Loki enchanted prior to the trial. She stares at the pen for a few moments before it rips itself from her grip and flies to the center of the room.

The pen hovers in the air for a few moments before transforming into a portal similar to the one they used to arrive in the past. Immediately, Clint is on his feet and looks over the portal curiously.

“Does this mean we’re done,” the archer asks hopefully.

“Loki did say that the portal would reopen when the trial was complete,” Rhodey points out. “I think we’re good to go.”

Nat nods curtly and rises to her feet. She opens her mouth to speak when twin gasps are heard.

The brunet turns and sees Howard and Peggy standing in the doorway. Peggy looks suspicious, confused, and amazed all at the same time as she glances between the portal and the Avengers. Howard is absolutely fascinated, keeping his gaze fixed on the portal with a gleam in his eyes.

Howard turns and meets Tony’s eyes as a wide grin crosses his face. His father looks like he has a hundred more questions he wants to ask. He opens his mouth but is interrupted when Natasha clears her throat.

Tony turns to look at the redhead, who is wearing a neutral expression on her face.

“We should go, “she says quietly, eyes darting between the Avengers and Howard and Peggy, who are still standing awestruck in the doorway.

“You’re just going to go in there?” Peggy questions. “You don’t even know what the hell that is?”

Tony rises to his feet before turning and looking at Peggy, who has her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. “It’s magic,” he responds simply.

“Magic,” she repeats disbelieving. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Quite possibly,” the brunet responds with a small chuckle. He turns away from Peggy and starts gathering the pieces of his armor that are still scattered around the table and placing them in the box.

“Where are you going exactly?” Howard speaks up.

“Don’t follow us,” Tony says without looking at his father. He grabs the box with his armor off the table and leads the way through the portal.

**

Tony emerges from the portal and immediately frowns, confused. The conference room looks like a war zone—furniture is upturned and destroyed, chunks of metal and debris are scattered everywhere, and there’s a huge hole in the side of the Helicarrier. The portal disappears from behind Tony and he barely registers it in favor of looking at the Avengers scattered around the destroyed room, unaware to their teammates return.

Bruce is sitting to the side, shirtless and wearing the stretch pants Tony made for him so he won’t be naked after Hulk makes an appearance. The Doctor is reading a novel and Tony has no idea where he could have gotten it. Thor is lying flat on his back on a part of the ground that isn’t covered in rubble, with Mjolnir on his left side and Loki curled into a ball on his right. He’s never seen the brother’s look so dormant and calm before—it’s almost as if they are at peace. Fury, Coulson, and Hill are gathered in the center of the room talking quietly amongst themselves. Steve is with Bucky on the other side of the room. Tony’s boyfriend is talking to a few Agents while Bucky is next to him looking bored out of his mind.

Before he can look away, Bucky catches the billionaire’s eye and smirks. It’s eerie seeing Bucky leaning casually against the wall and looking completely relaxed, especially since they were nearly killed by him only a few hours ago. Well, technically, it wasn’t _Bucky_ , it was Winter Soldier, but Winter Soldier _is_ a part of Bucky and from what he knows about the other man, he wouldn’t disregard a part of himself even if that part was a brainwashed psychotic Soviet assassin.

He’s pulled from his thoughts when he sees Bucky elbow Steve in the side and whisper something that Tony doesn’t catch. The brunet watches Steve pull himself from his conversation with the Agents, no doubt politely, before turning his head and spotting him. A wide grin crosses the other man’s features, and Tony can’t help but return it with one of his own.

“Tony!”

“Steve!” he calls, feeling joy bursting through him.

He barely has time to set the box with his armor aside before he’s enveloped in Steve’s warm embrace. Tony smiles wider, burying his face in the other man’s shoulder and wrapping his arms tightly around the blond’s torso. For the first time in his life, Tony feels like he’s come home.

“Why does he get the first hug?” Clint asks, and Tony can hear Natasha’s eye roll.

“I missed you so much,” Steve whispers in his ear.

A grin crawls over the brunet’s face. “I missed you too, you big lug.”

Steve snorts.

Tony pulls away from Steve, smiling up at the other man for a few moments before gesturing at the destruction surrounding them. “What happened here?”

Bucky snorts from somewhere on the other side of the room. “A whole lotta shit.”

“It’s about time you guys showed up,” Fury says before any of the other Avengers could express their thoughts on their teammates return. He leaves Hill and Coulson, crossing the room so he can address them properly. “I’m assuming that the trial is complete.”

“Affirmative,” Natasha says, carefully. She gives Fury a look, which says that there is more to the story and that they’ll explain everything in private.

Tony’s thankful for her vagueness. Mentioning the trial could bring up unwanted memories for Bucky, especially if he doesn’t remember attacking them in the first place. His past as Winter Soldier is already hard enough, and they wouldn’t be doing him any favors by bringing it up.

The Director continues regarding Natasha’s expression for a few silent moments before ultimately nodding his agreement. He opens his mouth, presumably to get everyone to medical and then explain what happened here, when the alarms begin blaring.

Fury scowls. “Are you fucking with me?” he mutters under his breath before turning on his heel. He scans the room for a moment before moving to stand next to one of his Agents, who is sitting in front a computer that she must have gotten up and running.

Steve wraps an arm around Tony and leads him over to where Fury is. The rest of the Avengers, Coulson, Hill, and the lingering Agents follow their lead until everyone is surrounding Fury and the Agent with the computer.

“What the hell is it this time?” Fury asks, exasperated as his eye scans the screen.

“Are we being attacked again?” Bruce asks, clutching his novel to his chest.

“Damn, Hydra needs to get a hobby,” Bucky mumbles with a shake of his head.

“Sir,” the Agent begins, addressing Fury. “A surge of Asgardian magic has been detected. We’ve isolated the disturbance to a location where we believe both a Hydra base _and_ the Red Skull are located.”

“Where is it?” Fury demands.

“A place called Frederick, Maryland.”

Tony’s face goes completely pale. He grips Steve’s uniform tightly, his fingers curling around the material as his lips barely form around one word.

_“No.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than my usual ones, but overall I am extremely pleased with it. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you thought! :)


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than I would have liked, but overall I am very pleased with it. I hope you all enjoy :)
> 
> Warning: Mentions of gore and death

“I want every Agent that we have assembled and sent to Frederick—pull them off of missions if needed. Red Skull is our top priority,” Fury says to the Agent on the computer, who nods at her orders. The Director straightens his posture, placing his hands behind his back and turning to Loki. “Have you figured out the final trial?”

“Sacrifice,” Loki says grimly. “It doesn’t say whom, only that one must be made.”

Fury nods after a moment. “Avengers, you will take care of Skull. Coulson, I want you leading a team into the base. Do not let anyone escape,” he orders. “Comms are still down from the Hydra attack here and there’s no guarantee when they’ll be back up again. Once you land in Frederick, you’ll be on your own.”

“Wait, Hydra attacked the Helicarrier? Again?” Clint asks, baffled.

“It’s a long story,” Bruce says.

“One that I most certainly want to hear,” Clint responds.

“If I may,” Thor says, addressing Fury. “I would like to request that my brother accompany us to Frederick. I believe Loki will be able to assist Son of Coul and, if needed, he will be able to provide instant aid in our battle.

Fury nods his confirmation. “Coulson, keep an eye on him.”

“Will do sir,” Coulson responds.

“Tony, are you okay?” Steve asks, quietly, making sure not to draw anyone’s attention to them.

The brunet shakes his head. “Frederick is the place from my dream. You know; the one where you die?”

Steve furrows his brow as if he knows what Tony is implying. “Tony, I can’t stay behind. I’ve been fighting this battle since 1943 and now I can finally finish it. You, on the other hand, need to go to medical and get those injuries checked out.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Tony says, firmly.

Steve frowns and Tony shakes his head.

“JARVIS?”

_“Sir.”_

“Goddammit, I thought I told you to get him off of my severs?”

“It must have slipped my mind,” Tony says waving off Fury in favor of continuing to speak with JARVIS. “I need you to build a new suit and have it dispatched to my location as soon as it’s ready. In the meantime, I’ll charge my gauntlet on the Quinjet and we’ll go from there.”

_“Very well, sir.”_

“You don’t have your suit?” Bruce asks.

“It’s an even longer story,” Rhodey says, saving Tony from having to come up with some bullshit explanation.

Tony nods his thanks to Rhodey. He looks around at each of his battle weary teammates, eyes alight and eager at the possibility of finishing the trials. “Right,” he says before glancing up at Steve. Let’s finish this.”

*

It only takes about an hour and a half to reach Frederick via the Quinjet and a majority of the ride is spent in a tense silence. Upon arrival, it doesn’t take long for the team to locate Skull and his Hydra Army in the largest park in the city. The enemies are already being engaged by Shield and they appear to be evenly matched. Well, not for much longer if the Avengers have a say.

“The area’s too hot, I won’t be able to land,” Coulson says as he scans the area.

“We don’t need to land,” Steve says, climbing from his seat and strapping his shield to his back. “Clint and Tony, I want the two of you evacuating any citizens that may be in the area. Natasha, Thor, Rhodey, and Bruce, I want you to assist Shield in engaging the Hydra forces. Bucky and I will take care of the Skull.” He exchanges a fond grin with Bucky. “Loki, you stay with Coulson, and get rid of their base. Use whatever means you find fit in this fight. We’re going to take down Hydra once and for all.”

Everyone nods their confirmation of the plan.

Cap nods once more before turning towards the now open loading ramp. “Bucky, come on.”

“Right behind you,” Bucky says before they both jump off the ramp.

Natasha scowls. “I don’t understand why those two idiots insist on not wearing parachutes.”

“You know what they say: like Bucky, like Steve,” Clint says as he pulls on his parachute pack.

Natasha snorts before nudging Clint in the arm. “I’ll race you,” she says already running to the ramp.

“Like you’ll win, Romanov,” the archer says before leaping after Nat.

Rhodey smiles to himself—or at least that’s what Tony imagines he’s doing as his face is covered. “This is gonna be fun,” he says before firing up his jet boosters and launching himself out of the Quinjet.

Bruce shakes his head. “I’m glad I decided not to put a shirt on after all.” He jumps from the ramp and Hulk’s roars are heard seconds later.

“Man of Iron, may I offer assistance?” Thor asks.

“Please,” Tony says.

“You guys be careful,” Coulson says.

“You too,” Tony responds.

Thor wraps an arm around Tony’s middle. The brunet clings to the other man as he raises his hammer and launches them from the Quinjet and towards the ground, hearing the sound of Coulson flying away over the noise of the battle. The blond Demi-God lands behind a parked car and ducks down, making sure Tony is completely covered before releasing him.

Tony nods. "Thank you," he says, offering the other man a small smile.

Thor returns his smile. "It is my pleasure." He clasps Tony's shoulder once in parting before taking to the skies and landing somewhere on the battlefield.

Tony pokes his head out from behind the parked car, searching the area for his teammates. Cap and Bucky are moving in complete synchronization as they fight Skull, never using the same move twice and taking advantage of the terrain. Natasha is engaging the foot soldiers with Shield, continuously keeping herself in motion and not letting anyone get a hit on her. Rhodey is flying around the entire length of the park, trying to establish a perimeter and keeping the enemies from crossing it. Hulk is roaring and taking down anyone in his way, while also keeping the enemies off Bucky and Cap. Thor is now fighting his enemies with a brutal efficiency that Tony hasn’t seen from the other man yet. Clint isn’t far from Tony, kicking one of the foot soldiers away from him before spotting the brunet and waving.

“Tones, there’s a bus full of trapped people over here, let’s go!”

The brunet glances around to make sure the area is clear before moving to Clint’s position, using the cars and overturned debris as cover. When he reaches the car closet to Clint, the archer runs over and ducks down next to Tony, his expression serious.

“The bus is a few minutes away from us. If we stick to the perimeter, we shouldn’t run into any resistance.” He gestures to Tony’s gauntlet. “How much juice you do have left on that thing?”

“Enough,” Tony says with a shrug. He’s honestly not sure how much power he has left. Not only did he not get the chance to finish charging his gauntlet on the way over, but it’s also still damaged from when he was forced from his armor. Right now, he’s hoping for the best, but he’s a Stark—they always have rotten luck.

The archer nods. He pokes his head out from behind the cover and looks around. “Alright, when I say go, we’ll move to that green car over there, okay?”

“Okay.”

Clint waits for a moment before saying, “Go!” The archer leaves the cover first, couched low, head down, and shuffling fast. Tony follows behind him, mirroring his movements until they reach the green car. The pair duck down behind it and wait a brief moment before nodding to each other.

They continue moving in that fashion until they reach the bus, which is surrounded by Hydra Agents. Tony and Clint duck down behind a brown car, which is the closest they can get to the bus without being seen.

“Any ideas on how to get past this?”

Tony thinks for a moment. “If you distract them, I can free the people trapped.”

“Alright,” Clint says. “As far as I can see, there’s only eight of them, but there could easily be more on the other side. Just be careful and don’t take too long.”

“Oh, you know me, I’m a regular Speedy Gonzales,” Tony says, to which Clint snorts. “On your go.”

The archer nods his understanding. He hovers for a moment before launching himself from cover, drawing the attention of the enemies. The soldiers shout and leave their post, chasing after Clint, who is leading them to the other side of the street.

As soon as Clint and the soldiers are gone, Tony runs towards the bus. The brunet circles the vehicle once, making sure all of the soldiers are gone. He glances upwards at the horror stricken faces of the children and adults trapped inside the vehicle, and gives everyone a small smile.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m here to help,” Tony says in a soothing tone, hoping the people inside can hear him. He’s betting they can seeing as one of the windows is cracked open. He goes to stand in front of the door that opens the bus. He grabs onto the edge of the door and tries forcing it open, only for it not to budge. He tries this a few more times before sighing.

“Wait, I know you—you’re Iron Man!” One of the kids on the bus says, her face pressed against the window as she looks at Tony curiously. She furrows her brow. “Where’s your suit?”

“In the shop,” Tony says, distracted.

The brunet takes a step back, pausing to think for a moment. He looks between his gauntlet and the doors before an idea hits him. The brunet backs up a few steps and gestures for everyone to move to the opposite side of the bus. When they comply, Tony raises his right arm and fires a small repulsor blast, which blows the door off completely. “Alright, everybody out.”

The people quickly comply. Tony helps them off the bus, accepting their thanks as they flee the area. When all the citizens are safely gone, Tony sighs relieved and goes in search of Clint.

Tony finds the archer a few minutes later. He’s further down the street, closer to where Thor originally dropped off Tony, collecting his arrows from the bodies of the Hydra Agents surrounding him.

Clint looks up and spots Tony, immediately grinning and waving. When Tony gets within earshot, he says, “Mission Accomplished?”

“Yep; they’re all on their way out of town,” the billionaire responds as he stops next to his friend.

“Nice,” the archer says as he holsters his arrows. “I’ve been searching for a perch and the best one is on top of that Bell Tower. Cover me while I climb it?”

“I got your back, literally,” he says, earning a smile from Clint. “Let’s go.”

Tony and Clint once again run from cover to cover as they head towards the main battle area. They quickly find themselves entangled in the mass of Soldiers and Agents fighting, having to step over corpses so disfigured that neither can tell if the body is Hydra or Shield. At one point, Natasha darts over and helps Tony escort Clint to his perch, staying close by as they fight off anyone who tries approaching while the archer scales the side of the Bell Tower.

“Looks like you could use a lift,” Rhodey says via his external speakers. That is all the warning he gives before plucking Clint off the side of the Tower and giving him a ride to the top.

Once Clint is secured, Widow jumps back into the battle. Tony follows her, hanging back some for he’s wary about not having his armor during a fight this large. The billionaire bites down on his bottom lip before taking down a Hydra Soldier with a repulsor blast, hoping that JARVIS finishes his suit soon.

*

The enemy soldiers are finally beginning to thin out after what seems like years of fighting. Now that the perimeter is secured, Rhodey has landed and is offering additional ground support, which is something the Agents appear appreciative of. Cap and Bucky are still locked into their battle with Skull, while Natasha takes down the soldiers surrounding her. Hulk and Thor are nearby, continuing to keep what’s left of the soldiers off their allies.

Tony’s gauntlet ran out of power a while ago and he’s been forced into physically knocking the soldiers down with the useless piece of metal. The billionaire looks up and catches Red Skull’s gaze, watching as the other man’s lips slowly curve into a smirk.

Skull knocks away Steve and Bucky’s weapons away from them before kicking both men away from him. The villain catches Tony’s eye again before opening his mouth and speaking. When he does, it sound like Tony is catching the tail end of a conversation filled with clipped words and the Skull bragging about how successful he’s going to be.

“So, have you figured it out yet, Captain? Where do you hit a man where it will hurt the most?” Red Skull sneers, before readying the laser gun in his hands. “His heart!”

“Tony! Watch out!” Steve screams.

The billionaire is shocked when Steve bodily tackles him out of the weapon’s range. He stumbles for a moment before steadying himself. He turns back to Steve and—

Tony’s eyes widen in horror as he watches Steve fall to the ground, completely silent. The brunet barely registers Hulk’s roars and Thor’s battle cries as they move the battle elsewhere. He runs to the other man, kneeling beside him, and surveying the damage. Steve has a huge hole in his torso that won’t stop bleeding.

The brunet rips off a piece of his shirt and tries to stop the bleeding. In the back of his head, he knows his efforts are useless, but he can’t help but try. It’s _Steve_. Tony searches lover’s face as tears well up in the former’s eyes. He places his hand on the blond’s face, and gently strokes his cheek. The corner of his mouth twitches when he feels Steve lean into his touch.

“Steve,” he whispers.

“Tony . . .”

The billionaire leans down and gently kisses Steve’s lips, smiling when he feels the other man kiss back.

“I love you.”

Steve’s face lights up. He smiles brightly, despite the fact that he is obviously in so much pain. “Tony,” he breathes. “I . . .”

Tony waits for the other man to say the words back. “Steve?” His face falls as he starts to gently shake the blond’s shoulder. “Steve?”

No response.

_“Steve!”_

Still no response.

“No,” he whispers brokenly. “No, no, no, not him. Please not him.” Tears fall freely down Tony’s face the harsh reality hits him.

Steve’s dead. And he’s never coming back.

Tony leans forward, crying into what’s left of Steve’s chest, not caring that his clothes are becoming soaked with his boyfriend’s blood. Time moves slowly and Tony can't hear anything over the sound of his haggard breathing and the mantra of _SteveSteveSteve_ running through his mind. Or is he speaking out loud? Tony doesn’t care at the moment because Steve—oh no, Steve is—

Tony hears a faint voice and feels someone grab him under his arms, trying to manhandle him away from his boyfriend. “No!” he yells as he attempts to fight off the other person. “Don’t take me away from him! Don’t you fucking take me away!”

“Stark! You’re going into shock! You need too—oof!”

Tony finally breaks away from the other man and spins around. He glares at Fury, every muscle screaming with defiance. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Stark,” Fury begins again. “You need to relax.”

“I’m _fine_! Steve! Tell them I’m—” Tony freezes. “Oh no.”

“Stark—”

“You want me to what? Relax? Calm down? Yeah, don’t think so,” Tony interrupts. “Because, in case you haven’t noticed, my boyfriend is—” he cuts himself off and places a fist over his mouth, trying to stop a fresh wave of tears.

“Stark—“

“NO!” Tony screams again, unable to stop his tears. He knows he needs to relax. The rational part of his brain is telling him to stop and take a breather. All this yelling isn’t going to . . . going to bring Steve back. Steve with his golden hair that shines in the sunlight and his breathtaking smile; Steve whose nose wrinkles in the most adorable way whenever Tony gives him a nickname he doesn’t like; Steve with his confusion to technology and most things modern; Steve who loves Tony unconditionally and looks at him like it’s the first time all over again and—

“It’s Steve,” Tony hears himself say in a calmer tone. “So, I can’t calm down.”

“Fine, don’t calm down. But, there is something important that you need to know.”

“What?”

“There was a mole.”

Tony freezes, mind going completely numb. “What . . . did you just say?” he asks, his voice neutral, calm, _terrifying_.

“There was a mole,” Fury explains slowly. “Someone fed the Skull information: classified information . . .”

“Oh my god, we really were being watched,” Tony breathes out horrified. He thinks back to that awful feeling he had at the Maria Stark Foundation’s charity ball all those months ago. He thinks back to the destruction of Stark Tower, and the Shield Hacking. That explains how the Skull knew about the trials; how he knew where to find them and for how long they’d be gone. Tony knew he was one of the additional targets on Skull’s list from the beginning. He’d just become a bigger one once the villain figured out how much he means to Steve.

“Our technicians are still working on fixing comm the problem,” Fury continues. “I made my way here to warn you, personally. I tried to get here as fast as I could and unfortunately, I was too late.”

“It’s all my fault,” Tony hears himself say. “Steve is dead because of me. I could have found a way—I could have.” He can feel himself start to hyperventilate, but he couldn’t care at the moment. “I should have known about the mole. I could have done so much and—”

“Stark!” a new voice barks, startling Tony. It was Clint (Rhodey must have brought him down from his perch). “It is not your fault. It’s Skull’s and whoever this mole is. Hulk and Thor are in pursuit and could use some assistance from Iron Man. You’re not the only one who’s lost him. Now, pull yourself together for a moment so we can do what we do best. Avenge.”

The corner of Tony’s lip twitches. _“Sir,”_ he hears JARVIS say through his earpiece. The comms must be back online—a little too late, he might add. _“The Mark fifty-two is one hundred percent fully operational.”_

The brunet stands and looks down at Steve’s body, the Skull’s words coming to him _“No matter what you do. No matter how much you try to avoid it, we’ll always end up here.”_ He remembers the bastard’s smirk clear as day. _“We’ll always have Frederick.”_ Tony’s hand clenches into a fist.

Tony takes a breath and collects himself before turning to Widow, Hawkeye, Rhodey, Bucky, and Fury, his features set with resolve. “Let’s get this son of a bitch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's going to be a companion fic to this chapter called "Come Back to Me." I'm hoping I'll have that posted within the next week or so.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is second to last chapter guys! I can’t even deal! 
> 
> Warning: blood, mentions of death

Hulk’s roars and Thor’s lightning guide them to Skull’s location on the other side of the park. Rhodey is flying ahead to keep the stragglers off the Avengers running on the ground while Fury offered to stay with Cap while the team finishes the trials. Tony’s glad—out of all the Shield Agents in the park with them that aren’t Avengers, Fury’s the only one he trusts with Steve.

Tony hears a whooshing sound coming from behind him. He turns around without breaking his stride and sees the pieces of his suit flying towards him. The brunet pulls off his destroyed gauntlet and jumps, watching as the metal encases his body. The suit comes online and he’s activating the jet boots before he lands back on the ground.

_“Sir?”_

“Captain Rogers is down,” Tony informs his AI, voice sounding shaky and pained. “Activate the House Part Protocol. Eliminate everyone who belongs to Hydra. Exception: Red Skull—he’s ours.”

_“Understood; House Party Protocol activated. The suits have been deployed and will arrive on your location in approximately forty-five minutes.”_

“Good.”

Up ahead, Thor and Hulk are surrounded by Hydra on all sides and are doing their best to fight them all in addition to avoiding the Skull’s laser gun. Rhodey flies over first and immediately dispatches several soldiers. Tony follows his friend, firing a repulsor blast that incinerates the enemies it touches. Normally, the Avengers will incapacitate their enemies for two reasons: one, so Shield can question them; and two, because they would be no better by killing everyone. There are exceptions, however, but generally, that’s what they will do.

Tony doesn’t care about that anymore.

Hydra took away the one person he cared for more than anything else on earth—his one chance at true happiness. They all deserve to burn in Hell for the rest of eternity. He has no sympathy—or any feelings other than _absolutedestructiveburning_ rage—for these devils.

Tony begins circling the perimeter of the battleground with Rhodey, picking off the soldiers as the try to escape now that the Avengers have arrived (which is pathetic, really). Natasha runs forward and jumps, wrapping her thighs around the neck of one soldier and shooting two others who approach her as the first soldier goes limp beneath her. Clint fires a series of arrows before ducking and behind a tree. Hulk roars and smashes his fist into the ground, crushing several enemies beneath his weight. Thor calls a bolt of lightning to the ground, incinerating the men who were nearing Clint’s position. Bucky is weaving between his enemies with a dancer’s grace, brandishing the knife in his hand as if the weapon is an extension of his arm. He easily takes out the men around him before engaging the Skull directly, catching the villain off guard and putting him on the defensive.

The Avengers work in silence, taking down the soldiers with a brutal efficiency. No one has spoken since Tony declared revenge and he’s grateful. All he feels is a painful numbness throughout his entire being and he has no idea what might happen if he tries to open his mouth. He’s pulled from his thoughts when Clint’s voice comes over the comms.

“Guys, I’m out of arrows.”

“What? Already?” Natasha says. “You need to learn to spread those attacks out.”

Clint huffs. “Would you just help me collect my arrows?”

“I got you covered,” Tony says, proud of himself for keeping his voice leveled. He flies low to the ground, using JARVIS to locate the archer’s arrows and gathering the weapons from each of the enemies Clint shot down. Once he retrieved all of the arrows, he goes to his teammate’s position and sets them at his feet.

“Thank you,” Clint chirps gratefully. “At least _someone_ is willing to help me out.”

Natasha scoffs.

Tony moves away from Clint and lands on the ground where he immediately encounters several soldiers firing their guns at him. He frowns, listening to the bullets bounce off his armor. When will they ever learn that ordinary weapons won’t work on him. Tony raises his hand and fires a repulsor blast that easily takes out the soldiers.

A loud, rumbling sound approaching their position pulls Tony’s gaze away from the soldiers he just eliminated. He looks up, watching carefully as several suits of armor fly overhead in a three-line formation before splitting up and circling the perimeter.

“Incoming!” Clint warns, sounding worried.

“They’re friendlies,” the brunet says as the various armors descend to the ground, immediately overwhelming Hydra and giving the Avengers the chance to regroup.

Tony watches his suits take down the Hydra soldiers with a smile on his face. The last time he initiated the House Party Protocol was in Malibu when he and Rhodey were trying to rescue both the President and Pepper. When he moved back to New York, he brought all of his suits with him and stored most of them in a secure bunker underneath of Stark Tower. Like with Malibu, he was saving the House Party just in case they would be needed again, and Tony can’t help but wish that he would have found a way to contact JARVIS to initiate the Protocol earlier. Maybe then, Steve would—

Tony forces the thoughts from his head. He can’t allow himself go down that path. What good would he be to his teammates if he shuts down now? Sure, JARVIS could take over the suit while Tony has a moment to grieve, but he doesn’t want to let someone else take out the enemies in his place. No, he wants to make Hydra pay with his own hands.

“House Party?” Rhodey questions.

“Yep,” Tony confirms as he launches back into the air. “The suits are old prototypes of my armor that I’ve kept in case I ever needed back up. They’re all controlled by JARVIS and will assist you if you ask.”

“Sweet!” Clint says. “Hey JAR, can I get a ride?”

_“Certainly, Master Barton.”_

The Mark Eighteen flies to Clint’s position, lifting the archer off the ground by the straps on his uniform. JARVIS flies Clint around in a continuous loop around the perimeter of the battlefield thus giving the archer a mobile perch. The Mark Twelve and the Mark Twenty-Seven fly to the Hulk, circling him and picking off the soldiers that keep trying to scale his body. Thor runs forward and leaps, bouncing off the Mark Forty-Two and propelling himself to the ground, taking out a huge wave of the straggling soldiers in addition to leveling a small area of the park.

_“Would you like some assistance Mistress Romanov?”_

At JARVIS’s words, Tony looks over and sees that enemies once again, surround Natasha. Tony isn’t exactly sure why they keep swarming her like this. He’s betting it’s because they think she’s weak because she’s small and female, which is a gross assumption. If there is one thing Tony is assured of, it’s that Black Widow always wins. _Always._

“It would be appreciated, yes,” she responds.

The Mark Thirty-Five flies to her and breaks apart, the metal pieces encasing her body until she’s completely covered. The armor launches into the air, getting Natasha safely away from the crowd. It flies her around before landing in a less crowded area and taking down the few soldiers lingering before releasing her from the suit.

“I can see why you two like flying so much,” she says once she is on the ground and Tony can hear her smile. “It’s so . . .”

“Freeing?” Rhodey offers.

“Yeah,” she says. “Very liberating.”

Tony grins. Seeing and being carried by the suit is one thing, but actually being inside and flying around with full knowledge that the sky is no longer a limit is exhilarating.

“Stark,” Fury says, voice startling Tony since he wasn’t expecting the Director to speak. “I’m en route to your position with backup. Coulson, Hill, and Loki are going to stay with Cap.”

Tony has to close his eyes at the on slot of emotions that hits him. He’s still not completely trusting of Loki, even though he’s been a major help to the Avengers and has proven himself an ally. At least Coulson will be there—the Agent won’t allow for anything to happen to Steve.

He takes a calming breath, trying to get himself in check. They’re really going to do this—they’re actually going to finish this fight and be done with the trials for good. Tony opens his eyes and nods, even though Fury can’t see the motion. “Alright.”

*

The Hydra soldiers are finally eliminated when Natasha takes down the last one by impaling him with a metal rod she found lying on the ground. The enemy falls limp, with the weapon still embedded in his torso.

Tony lands on the ground and lifts his faceplate. His various suits are circling the area like vultures preparing for a meal. He exchanges a grim glance with Fury while listening to the sound of Rhodey landing somewhere behind him. He turns his head, giving his full attention to the only fight remaining.

Bucky’s interlocked in a battle with Skull, movements so calculated and precise that the villain is having trouble keeping up with him. He forces Skull to abandon his favored ray gun and exclusively use hand to hand, which is Bucky’s forte. The ex-Soviet has even gotten a few good hits in as the Skull is bleeding from a knife wound on his cheek. Bucky dodges the Skull’s punch before spinning on his toes and delivering a roundhouse kick to his face. The villain stumbles backwards from the force of the blow.

While the Skull is recovering, Natasha leaps onto his back, throwing one of her legs over his left shoulder. She pulls out a piece of thick rope and wrapping it around the villain’s neck. Skull manages to raise his hand before the rope makes contact with his skin. After a brief struggle, Skull grasps Natasha by her belt and toss her off him as if she doesn’t weigh anything. Thor catches her around the waist and immediately throws his hammer, hitting the villain square in the chest. As he falls to the ground out of breath, Skull twists his body, barely managing to avoid having his torso crushed by Mjolnir. Skull leaps back to his feet and immediately has to dodge the series of arrows and bullets Clint and Fury fire at him, respectively.

Tony begins walking towards the villain, armor covered hands curled into fists as his body shakes with barely contained rage. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Bucky advance on the Skull, dangerous and predatory, before engaging the villain once again, keeping him distracted as the Avengers get into position.

Skull ceases all movement when he realizes he is completely surrounded, with Hulk looming in the distance. The villain looks amused by the whole situation as if he’s still going to come out of this completely intact. He turns his back to Bucky in favor of staring down Tony.

The brunet takes a step forward. “It’s over, Skull.”

A slow smirk crawls over Skull’s face. “You’re not a killer, Stark.”

“No, but I am.”

Tony watches as a metal blade shoots through Skull’s chest, piercing the man through his heart. Skull, wide-eyed and shocked, tries to look at the man who impaled him, but Bucky refuses to let him.

“Rot in hell, you piece of shit,” he says before twisting the knife.

Skull makes a gurgling sound before he goes completely limp. Bucky removes his knife and lets the man’s body fall carelessly to the ground. He looks at Tony, with dead eyes, not bothered by the fact that he’s covered in blood. Tony can’t even find himself to be frightened by the Winter Soldier standing in front of him, tightly clutching the knife in his metal hand.

“I remember,” Winter Soldier says, and Tony imagines that if he could, he would be smirking. “I remember the yacht.”

“Get him out of here,” Natasha says in a clipped tone

Tony expects them to pull away Winter Soldier, but instead, Rhodey grabs him and physically moves him away before he can protest. The billionaire watches Fury pull Nat aside, who was starting to follow them.

“I’m going to tell this to you now, so you can relay it to your team whenever you see fit,” Fury says, and Tony instantly knows that the Director is going to allow them as much time off as they will need. “Coulson, Loki, and Hill got to the site of the tech. The magic was contained in a small device—even smaller than the Tesseract. Coulson reported that the device was dormant when they arrived, which means that you succeed in completing the trials. With Loki’s help, they were able to safety destroy the device as well as the Hydra base was it was found in.”

“Does that mean that Steve was . . .” she trails off and Fury gives her a grim look.

Natasha’s voice, sounding pained and broken, is what causes everything to click into place for Tony as he finally registers everything that has happened.

“It was real,” Tony says aloud, sounding shocked and distant.

“Tones?” Rhodey questions, tone light and concerned.

“He’s really gone—Steve’s dead. It wasn’t just some horrible dream.”

“Yeah . . .”

“He died protecting me.”

“He loved you and wanted you to live.”

“How am I supposed to do that without him?”

Tony looks up at Rhodey’s face, the other man’s mouth pulled slightly downwards and eyes worried. The brunet must look completely wrecked for Rhodey tightens his expression and places an armor-covered hand on Tony’s shoulder, who wishes he could feel his friend’s warmth and comfort through the suit. He takes a breath trying to calm himself down.

“He was everything to me, Rhodey,” Tony admits in a whisper, feeling a tear fall down his cheek followed by another. “He was _it_.”

He closes his eyes and scrunches his face as a sob filters through his lips. The faceplate slides into place without prompting, giving him the privacy to grieve while also having the comfort of his friend nearby. He leans forward, placing his covered forehead against Rhodey’s armored shoulder and opens a private comm link between the two of them.

“Rhodey?”

“Yeah?”

“Promise you won’t leave me.”

“Tony, you know I can’t—”

_“Please,”_ he says sounding a little desperate. Tony knows what he’s asking is unfair because he doesn’t know what the future holds, but he needs reassurance that his longtime friend will stay by his side—at least for now.

Rhodey is silent for a beat. “I promise. You’re stuck with me, Stark.”

The corner of Tony’s mouth quirks upward, and he nods to himself. “Okay.”

*

The funeral is four days later.

Thousands of people show up—fans, supporters, friends, new friends, people Steve inspired. They all came to support the man who represented and loved them, even if he hadn’t met them.

Bucky cries freely, body wracking with sobs and hands covering his mouth to prevent any sound from escaping. Stray tears run down Natasha’s cheeks, her shoulders shaking and hands clenched tightly into fists. Pepper cries into her tissues and Rhodey has to hold back his tears, keeping his posture at attention. Thor has his head bowed in respect while his brother silent and mirroring his actions. Bruce passes Clint a handkerchief and the archer uses it to blow his nose. Hill wipes away a few tears of her own and Coulson looks heartbroken. Even Fury’s eye is looking watery.

Tony is able to hold everything in until he was presented with the flag that laid on Steve’s coffin, his shield, and his tags. He bites down on his bottom lip and manages to stop himself from completely breaking down. Tony accepts the items with an almost inaudible murmur of “thanks.”

As the solider walks away, Rhodey places a hand on Tony’s shoulder. Overwhelmed, the brunet leans his head against his friend’s shoulder, unable to stop his tears from falling. He feels Rhodey envelop Tony into a hug from the front while Pepper wraps herself around Tony’s back, the pair shielding their vulnerable friend from everyone else’s gaze.

After the funeral, there’s a dinner at the Hilton in downtown Manhattan with open attendance. Tony decides to skip it saying he wants to be alone for a while. The Avengers understand, citing that they will join up tonight back at the Mansion.

Pepper and Rhodey escort Tony to the parking lot where Happy is already waiting for him. Happy has been in California with Pepper since the Maria Stark Foundation Ball and came back for the funeral just as she did. Tony has a feeling that both Pep and Happy are going to be sticking around for a while, seeing as he heard the redhead mention to Rhodey that she wanted to move Stark Industries back to New York once the Tower was completed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony can see Bucky approaching the three of them, presumably to talk with him. There hasn’t been another glimpse of Winter Soldier since end of the battle and Bucky has been acting like himself, more or less. Tony stops walking, which causes his friends to stop as well. The brunet passes off the flag, shield, and dog tags to Rhodey. He walks away from his two friends and goes to meet Bucky. He can hear the pair following him, but keep their distance and allow him to converse in private.

“Hey.”

“Hey Bucky.”

Bucky gulps before closing the distance between them and wrapping Tony in a hug. He rests his chin on Tony’s shoulder, and the latter can feel tears prickling at the corner of his eyes as he returns the embrace.

“You know you’re not alone, right?” Bucky says, hoarsely.

Tony’s heart clenches painfully. “I know.”

Bucky pulls away and Tony sees how absolutely wrecked the other man looks. He takes a shaky breath, and places a finger on Tony’s chest, tapping him once. “You talk to me okay?”

Tony instantly knows what he’s talking about—he hasn’t forgotten their conversation on the roof. Not a single word. He knows Bucky is someone he can count on and trust.

The billionaire gulps and nods. “Okay.”

Bucky places a fist against his mouth before nodding and turning to walk away.

“Wait,” Tony calls, watching as the other man looks back at him with a curious expression.

The brunet goes over to Rhodey and carefully takes Steve’s shield from his friend. He turns the object over in his hands before walking back over to Bucky and holding the disk out to the other man. “He would have wanted you to have this.”

Bucky looks like he might start crying again at any moment. “I—I can’t be Captain America.”

Tony gulps, trying to hold himself together. “I’m not asking you too. You and I both know Steve, and we know that he wouldn’t trust anyone other than you to have his shield. Please.”

Bucky sniffles, looking like he wants to bolt at any second. He slowly reaches out his hands and takes the shield from Tony, looking at the object as if it holds the secrets to the universe. Bucky’s wide eyes roam over the billionaire’s face and he smiles brokenly. “Thank you,” he says, sounding grateful. He straps the shield onto his back, offering Tony a nod before walking away.

Tony watches him leave before turning back to his friends. Pepper offers him a watery smile and Rhodey gives him a nod of approval. The brunet feels a small weight lift from his chest—if anyone other than Steve deserves to hold the shield, it’s Bucky. They continue walking for a few more minutes before reaching Happy’s location.

His former chauffeur opens the door and waits patiently while Tony hugs his two friend’s goodbye. The brunet receives the flag and dog tags from Rhodey, who offers him a small smile. Tony nods to his friends before climbing into the car.

Happy closes the door and slides into the driver’s seat. He starts the car and pulls away from the curb. Happy doesn’t say a word, which is something Tony is grateful for. The billionaire runs his left thumb over Steve’s tags before placing them around his neck, gaining comfort in the sound of the metal clanging against his arc reactor. Tony sighs heavily, leaning his head back against the seat and closing his eyes.

All he can see is Steve.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, this is it—this is the last chapter D: I just want to thank everyone for the massive support whether you’ve been here since the beginning or if you’ve just found this story now, thank you so much for humoring me for the past year. I also want to give HUGE shout out to my friend, Kristyn, who read over the story for me and gave me feedback. Thank you! 
> 
> There will be a sequel to this called “Towers,” which has been posted :)
> 
> Listening to: “Confidential Liar”—Vanattica; “Diane Young”—Vampire Weekend; “Miss Crumby”—The Audition; “Wake Up Sunshine”—Chicago; “Help is on the Way”—Rise Against.
> 
> Warning: suicidal thoughts and attempt, mentions of depression, drug abuse/use, and death

It’s been one month since Steve’s funeral.

Bucky’s been missing since the day of the service—he disappeared like a ghost and has failed to contact anyone his whereabouts (at this point, they don’t even know if he’s alive). Natasha tries to raise the moral and keep the team in good spirits, but sometimes she’ll stop in the middle of her sentences with a far off look on her face like something is missing. Clint wanders around the Mansion in a daze, robotically completing his daily routine. Bruce isolated himself in his lab, sometimes not leaving for days.

Rhodey has thrown himself into his work, which is something he always does when he’s emotionally compromised. He always makes sure to phone three times each day and have JARVIS give him continuous updates on everyone’s status. Pepper has moved into the Mansion and Happy in the apartments across the way. Thor divides his time between the Mansion, Asgard, and Shield, keeping himself busy. Loki had returned home, but not before telling the Avengers that if they needed him, he’s available. They haven’t heard anything from Shield other than condolences and Fury’s reassurance that he’s going to do everything in his power to track down the mole. As of now, they haven’t found the person yet.

Tony’s been holed up in his room ever since his suicide attempt three weeks ago. He remembers that day clearly—sitting down at Steve’s desk, writing his note on a blank piece of sketch paper; ignoring JARVIS’s concerns, telling the AI to piss off before muting him, swallowing a bottle of sleeping pills and downing them with alcohol—his first drink since he first started dating Steve. Once he started, he couldn’t stop.

He woke up in the emergency room surrounded by the Avengers; Pepper was slumped asleep in an uncomfortable chair by his bed. Bruce noticed he was awake and alerted everyone else. They were all a mixture of relieved, upset, and angry—Pepper more so. She screamed and cried, and Rhodey had to retrain her from slapping him. He learned from her that JARVIS had contacted her after Tony muted him. She arrived with the team in tow shortly after he blacked out. They barely made it to the hospital in time and the doctor said that if they had arrived any later, Tony would have been—

Pepper had collapsed back into the chair, sobbing, and Tony immediately felt guilty for putting her through this, but he can’t do it anymore. Not without—

Tony is pulled from his thoughts when someone knocks on his door. It opens and Pepper slips inside, offering him a small smile and Tony hates that she has to see him like this—unwashed and unshaven, laying in his bed on filthy sheets nearly twenty-four seven only moving to use the bathroom. He’s a wreck—a dirty, disgusting wreck—and she deserves better. They all deserve better than him.

“Hey Tony,” she says, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. She walks over to the bed and settles in next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Tony nods his head in greeting, unable to find the will to speak.

“Rhodey just went to work,” she continues. “He says he’ll back for dinner, but you know how that always changes. He told me to tell you goodbye and that he’ll call in a few hours.”

Tony keeps his gaze on everything except Pepper.

“Natasha is making Pelmeni for dinner. She thinks you’ll like it. I can bring some up when she’s finished if you like?”

Tony doesn’t respond. Pepper keeps the smile on her face, but he can tell that she’s frustrated whether it’s at him or that there’s nothing she can do, he’s not sure of.

After a few moments, Pepper rises to her feet. “I have to go make some phone calls about the eventual moving of the company, but please let me know if you need me.” She leans forward, bracing on hand on the mattress, and places a kiss on his cheek before making her way towards the door.

“I’m sorry, Pep,” Tony blurts suddenly, his voice sounding hoarse from disuse.

Pepper turns around and smiles. “There’s nothing to apologize for,” she says with an air of finality. She runs her gaze over him for a moment before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Silence follows Pepper’s exit, and Tony doesn’t know what to do other than lay around. He knows Steve wouldn’t want him to lay around—he would want for Tony to be outside, enjoying himself, making new memories with the team and making Fury’s life hell. He would want him to be living his life and moving on. Tony furrows his brow, carefully thinking over that statement. Maybe he _can_ do this—if he does it for Steve.

With that thought, Tony racks his brain before ultimately deciding that he’s going to clean up and go down to the lab. He smells ripe and he needs to work on repairing his armor. He can’t be of any use to the Avengers if he doesn’t have his suit. The last time he didn’t have it, the love of his life was killed. He won’t let anyone else get hurt because of him.

“JARVIS.”

_“Sir?”_

“Prep the lab; I’m going down to repair the armor.”

_“Would you like me to inform Miss Potts?”_

Tony thinks for a moment before shrugging. “If you want.”

_“Understood.”_

When JARVIS finishes speaking, he throws the covers from his body and rises to his feet, mind focused on taking a shower. Tony stumbles and bumps into the bookshelf, cursing as a few novels and other trinkets Steve insisted on getting fall to the floor. 

Tony shakes his head and begins picking up the different items and setting them on Steve's desk. He pauses as he notices a small box, one that he has never seen before and he knows every item on that shelf. He picks up the box and turns it over as a confused look falls over his features. He opens the box and gasps, mouth falling open in shock. Inside is a ring—a small silver ring—simple yet beautiful. He looks at it for a few moments before tears well up in his eyes when he realizes what this is.

It's an engagement ring.

Steve was going to propose. They would have gotten married.

They could have raised a family. Steve talked about wanting kids eventually in passing and Tony wasn’t _completely_ opposed to the idea especially if the person he was raising the kids with was Steve. Their children would have had a various assortment of Aunts and Uncles living with them and protecting him, and while the Avengers are all fucked up in their own rights, they are a family and those kids would have been so loved and cared for that they wouldn’t be able to wait until they were old enough to leave.

“Yes,” he whispers, brokenly. He gently takes the ring from the box and slides it over his left ring finger. “Yes, yes, a thousand times _yes_!”

*

After a few hours, Tony is washed, dressed in a clean pair of sweats, and back in his lab with JARVIS and Dummy, starting to feel more like himself. The methodical process of repairing his armor is soothing to him; he’s able to lose himself in the routine, his mind clear of all thoughts. Tony’s not one-hundred percent and he doesn’t think he’ll be for a long while, but this is the best he’s felt since Steve—since the fourth trial.

_“Sir, Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes is calling.”_

“Okay.”

“Tony?”

“Hey Rhodey.”

“Hey man, you sound great.”

“I finally got off my ass and showered,” Tony says with a shrug before glancing down at the ring on his finger. He wants to tell Rhodey about it, but not over the phone. He’s going to have to wait until tonight—he can tell everyone together.

“Good because you were getting a little funky.”

“Hey! You’re supposed to me my friend!”

“I am, and as your friend, if you would have waited any longer, I would have had to bathe you myself.”

“Aw, would you have worn a nurse’s outfit?”

“You know I could pull it off; my thighs are _killer_.”

Tony laughs (for the first time in a while). He laughs so hard that he actually has to stop working on his armor and brace his hands on the table. When he finally gets control over himself, he can hear Rhodey’s smugness over the phone. “Goddammit, Rhodes, you got me. I don’t even have a good comeback.

“Ha! I rendered the Great Tony Stark Speechless. I have officially reclaimed my title as The Funniest Man in New York!”

When they were younger, they would constantly try and out joke each other. Whoever would make the other person laugh the hardest, would become The Funniest Man in New York. Those are the fondest memories Tony has of his childhood—Rhodey always did know how to cheer him up when he was feeling down considering whom his father was.

“Oh, that title still belongs to me. You just got in a good one liner.”

“Bullshit, Stark, that title is mine. I earned it.”

“Whatever you say, pudding pop.”

Rhodey laughs. “Hey man, I gotta go—the boss is giving me the stink eye. I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Yeah,” Tony says a wide smile on his face. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Rhodey hangs up and Tony is thrown into silence. He can hear Dummy moving around in the distance and thankfully, the robot is behaving himself. The brunet goes back to working on his armor for a few minutes before saying, “JARVIS call Fury.”

_“Director Fury of Shield?”_

“Do we know any other Fury’s?”

_“No, sir, I will make the call.”_

The phone rings three times before Fury answers.

“Stark? You’re calling _me_? Am I being punked?”

“Ha-ha, very funny.”

“Well, if I’m not being punked, then why are you calling me in the middle of the afternoon?”

“I . . .” Tony trails off. He stops working on his armor again and thinks for a moment. He honestly has no idea why he called Fury of all people. It was such a spur of the moment decision that he can’t think of a good lie. “I don’t actually know.”

“Oh . . . Alright then.” 

“Yeah, I’m hanging up now.”

“Stark.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s . . . good to hear from you.”

“Same to you, Director,” he says with a smile, surprised to find that he means those words.

“Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

Fury hangs up and Tony looks down at his half-repaired armor, feeling stunned. “JARVIS, mark that down as the most out of character thing I’ve ever done.”

_“Understood, sir.”_

“A little birdy told me you were lurking down here,” a voice says from somewhere behind Tony.

The brunet turns and sees Pepper walking towards him with a smile on her face and a clipboard in her hands. “Is Clint spreading lies again?”

“No, but he is on the roof building a nest.”

Tony snorts.

Pepper reaches the table Tony is sitting at, setting her clipboard on the table before leaning against it, still smiling. “JARVIS told me; it’s good seeing you in your element again.”

“To be honest? It’s good being back in it.”

Her smile widens and she nods.

“So, how’s the tower coming along?” he asks. Steve was in charge of the tower’s progress and construction, but passed it over to Pepper before the third trial started.

“Great; the exterior and basic layout of the interior is complete. Bob, the supervisor, predicts they’ll be finished within six months.”

Tony nods his head. “I think I’ll go down and see it.”

Pepper raises an eyebrow, surprised. “Today?”

“Why not?”

“Are you sure? I can go with you.”

“I’ll be okay, Pep, I promise. I’ll have my phone with me and Bob will be right there.”

“It would be good for you to get out, but . . .” she trails off sighing. “You’re going to go no matter what aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Fine, you can go,” she says, reluctantly. “But only if you text me text me when you arrive, at some point during your visit, and when you’re on your way back, understood?”

“Understood! In the meantime, would you mind looking after Dummy? He gets into more trouble when he’s lonely, even though he has JARVIS.”

Pepper smiles. “I would be honored. Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”

Tony grins. “That’ll be all, Miss Potts.”

*

Upstairs, Tony goes into the kitchen in search of a snack when he sees Natasha perched on top of the counter with a box of donuts next to her. She takes a bite out of the donut in her hand before she meets his eyes, looking visibly surprised to see him.

“Hey Tony,” she says taking another bite of her treat.

“Hey Nat,” he greets as he opens the fridge and peers inside.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better.”

“Good.”

“How are you and the team?”

“Getting there.”

“Good.”

Silence falls over them for a few moments before Natasha sighs. “We miss you, you know.”

Tony bites down on his bottom lip. “I know and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize; you take all the time you want. I just want you to know that you’re not alone and that you don’t have to be.”

The brunet’s heart clenches as he remembers Bucky saying similar words to him after the funeral. “Has Bucky come back?”

“No—no one’s heard from him yet. Coulson’s keeping a lookout and I asked JARVIS to alert everyone if he sets foot in the city.”

Tony nods, forgetting that she can’t see the motion.

“We also haven’t seen much of Bruce. He’s been spending most of his time in the lab you made him on the third basement level,” she adds.

The brunet ponders over Nat’s words. Bruce always dealt with his emotions better in isolation for fear that Hulk may make an appearance. The fact that he’s still in New York, let alone the Mansion, is an incredible feat.

He hums and pulls a small container of Greek Yogurt out of the fridge and closes it. He takes off the foil covering the yogurt and tosses it in the bin before grabbing a spoon and eating. After a few moments, he finally speaks. “I’ll talk to Bruce and have JARVIS expand the search for Bucky when I get back.”

Natasha raises an eyebrow. “Get back? Where are you going?”

“I’m going to oversee the construction of Avengers Tower and talk with Bob, who’s supervising everything.”

“Alone? I can go with you.”

“I’ll be fine, Nat.”

Natasha frowns, not looking convinced.

“Do you want me to text you when I get there?”

“In addition to when you’re coming home, as well.”

“Okay mom.”

Natasha snorts.

Tony finishes his yogurt and tosses the empty container. He places the spoon in the sink and turns to Natasha, offering her a smile

She gives him a blank look before hopping off the counter. Nat walks over and stands in front of Tony, gazing at the man for a few minutes before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around his torso, resting her chin on his shoulder.

Tony is shocked silent for a few moments before he smiles and returns the hug. Nat worries more than she lets on and Tony is grateful to have someone to have someone like her in his life and watching his back.

The pair stands in the kitchen hugging for a few minutes before pulling away from each other. Tony doesn’t miss the fond smile on Nat’s face.

“I knew you liked me,” he teases.

“Keep dreaming.”

Tony laughs.

Natasha purses her lips before lightly punching Tony on the arm. “I’ll save some Pelmeni for you.”

“I look forward to it.” He nods to Natasha and goes to leave the kitchen before pausing in the doorway and turning back around. “Oh and in the meantime, tell Bruce I said he needs to come out of his lab, the library misses him.”

Natasha laughs. “Will do.”

*

When he arrives at the tower, Tony shoots off two text messages—one to Pepper and one to Natasha. While he waits for their responses, he looks over the tower’s progress, pleased at the work that has been completed. Bob is one of the best supervisors in the state and the work he’s done here is a stark contrast to what he saw four months ago when he and Bucky returned to New York. Pepper’s right—they really could be moving back into the tower by the middle of the year.

Tony phone beeps and he checks his messages smiling at Natasha’s _“Okay”_ and Pepper’s _“Stay safe.”_ He pockets his phone and makes his way towards the tower, wandering around the construction site and nodding to a few of the workers in greeting. It takes him a few moments, but he finally locates the supervisor, standing in front of a table and speaking with another worker.

Bob is a short, plump man, construction hat covering his balding head. He’s wearing a white button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, a green tie, a pair of black slacks and brown shoes. Bob turns his head and notices Tony approaching. The man smiles and waves in greeting before dismissing the worker he was speaking with. When Tony reaches him, he shakes the other’s outstretched hand.

“Bob, good to see you,” Tony greets with a smile and a nod.

“Mr. Stark, you look different,” Bob says.

Tony looks down at his clothes, noticing that he didn’t change out of his sweats before leaving the house. He shrugs. “Today’s casual Friday.”

“It’s Tuesday.”

“Casual Tuesday then,” Tony corrects and Bob shakes his head. He rocks back on his heels and clasps his hands together. “So, what are we looking at in terms of floor planning?”

“Well, I was hoping you’d tell me,” Bob says with a laugh.

Tony grins. “Let’s go to the top. I think best when I’m being elevated.”

“Yes, sir,” Bob says as he leads the way to the elevator that the workers use. When they arrive, the pair climbs inside and Bob presses the button for the top floor. The doors close and the elevator shakes once before making its assent to the uppermost level.

“So, I’m thinking,” Tony begins a few minutes later. “The first fifty-one floors, including the ground floor, will be used for Stark Industries so we’ll need offices, meeting rooms, etcetera. The CEO’s office will be the entire fifty-first floor. Pepper emailed you some design input earlier in the week.”

“Yep, I got that email,” Bob confirms. “What about the other twenty-five floors?”

“Those will be for recreation for me and my team. I’m thinking two floors of labs—one for me and another for Bruce, a pool room, a common room, a training hall, individual floors for everyone, among other things that I’ll have to get back to you on.”

Bob laughs. “Sounds like a plan, Mr. Stark. We won’t be working on polishing the interior for a few more months, so take all the time you need.”

When Bob finishes speaking, they arrive on the uppermost level and exit the elevator. There are ten people scattered on the floor, who spot the pair as soon as they arrive. They set down their tools and attempt to leave to give them some privacy, but Tony waves them off and gestures for them to keep working. There’s no reason for them to stop what they're doing on his account.

He pursues his lips, wanting to say something, but unable to find the words. Instead, he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to Pepper, telling her to inform the team to think about how they want their floors to be designed. She texts back saying she’s on it and he smiles before putting his phone away.

Tony and Bob continue walking to the other side of the room, pausing just before they reach the balcony. The brunet gazes out at the breathtaking view of the city’s skyline, not realizing how he missed it until now. The noise the workers are making fades into the background the longer he gazes outside—Steve would have loved to paint this and Tony feels a pang of loss surge through him.

A loud bang startles him from his thoughts and Tony turns to look at Bob, who is wearing a confused look on his face. The pair scans the room before spotting one of the workers on the opposite side of the room trying to pull his hammer out of the newly formed hole in the wall.

Bob sighs. “Dammit Jim,” he mutters as if this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

Another worker joins Jim and grabs onto the handle of the hammer. Together, they tug as hard as they can before the hammer pops out of the hole with a large chunk of dry wall coming off as well.

Bob sighs again and runs a hand over his face. He walks over to the two workers, who are now panicking, with Tony following. “Jim, Erica, what are you doing?”

“Mr. Lewinski, I apologize,” Jim begins, a slight accent to his words that Tony cannot place. “I was nailing into the wall and I—well, I missed the nail.”

The supervisor sighs and shakes his head. “Accidents happen—just try and hit the nail next time.”

“Yes, sir,” Jim says, casting his eyes downward.

“Uh, Mr. Lewinski, there’s something inside of here,” Erica says. She’s peering inside of the hole with a curious and concerned expression on her face.

“What is it?” Bob asks, crossing his arms.

Erica reaches into the hole and pulls out a small brown tool box. She kneels on the ground and sets the box down in front of her. Erica opens it and gasps.

Tony and Bob move to stand behind her. Inside the box is a small device with a timer that’s rapidly counting down.

“Is that a bomb?” Jim exclaims in a panic and Tony instantly knows that only Hydra could have done this.

There are two explanations for how a bomb could have gotten into the tower. One, Hydra snuck into the construction site and planted it. Or two, some of these workers are undercover Hydra Agents. Either way, he knows for sure that this bomb was planted for him and the team. The scary thing is: they would have never known if it wasn’t for Jim and Erica. To think of what could have happened to the team and all of his employees if—

Tony shakes his head, clearing his mind of all thoughts. He can’t afford to get sidetracked now. He has a job to do. “Yeah, and I’m assuming that’s not the only one. The entire tower could be rigged with explosives. We have to get everyone out of here.”

The billionaire quickly ushers the workers and Bob into the elevator. When everyone is packed inside, they all realize there isn't enough room for the genius to join them. Bob opens his mouth to speak, but Tony cuts him off.

“I’ll take the next one,” he says with a tone of finality.

The supervisor looks like he wants to protest, but knowing he won’t get anywhere, he simply nods his head. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Please, call me Tony.”

Bob nods again. “Thank you, Tony.”

The elevator doors close and Tony watches them while the device descends. He takes a few steps away before glancing over at the bomb, which is still counting down. Tony takes a calming breath before weighing his options. He doesn’t have his suit, and the House Party now resides underneath of the Mansion and won’t reach him in time.

Tony gulps—he doesn’t _have_ any options. He’s a sitting duck until the elevator comes. All he can do now is hope that the bomb doesn’t explode beforehand.

The elevator doors open right as the bomb goes off. Tony is thrown backwards from the force of the blast and hits the wall on the opposite side of the room. He groans before his body collapses onto the ground. Knowing there is no time to spare, he stumbles to his feet and makes his way to the elevator. As he predicted, the first bomb was a trigger and he listens to the sounds of more explosions happening below him, which causes the tower to tremble and rock. He’s almost to the elevator when the floor finally gives out from underneath his feet and he falls.

Tony’s vision blacks out, and he swears he can hear Steve calling his name.

*

Well, there you have it.

You probably didn’t think it was going to end like this and neither did I. I thought I was going to be killed long ago, especially when there were so many opportunities presented to me. I was never afraid of death, though; I think I was more afraid of being alone. I felt alone for a lot of my life, and while I didn’t believe in an afterlife, I still didn’t want to be by myself after I died. And I won’t—I’ll be with Steve.

This is the story of how I died, and it’s finally over.

Like I said before, beginnings are hard . . . but endings are even harder.


End file.
